Leeds United: Anonymous £65k-p/w Dud Disappointed Vs Arsenal
Leeds United slipped to a 4-1 defeat against Premier League leaders Arsenal on Saturday afternoon as the Whites' defensive issues once again came to the fore in north London.
A brace from Gabriel Jesus and one from Ben White had put the Gunners in total control before Rasmus Kristensen gave the Yorkshire outfit hope by pulling one back.
However, Granit Xhaka made it 4-1 not long after to consign Javi Gracia's side to a disappointing defeat which leaves them teetering above the relegation zone once again.
One man who disappointed in the game at the Emirates was summer signing Luis Sinisterra, as the Colombian winger once again failed to have any real impact on the game.
How did Sinisterra play against Arsenal?
Following a period on the sidelines through injury, the 23-year-old was handed his first start since February but failed to win over Gracia with another fairly anonymous display.
As per Sofascore, the former Feyenoord man would earn a 6.7/10 rating for his performance but struggled to get involved during his 65 minutes on the pitch, registering just 32 touches of the ball, which was one fewer than goalkeeper Illan Meslier.
Sinisterra would also complete just eight of his 16 attempted passes with a woeful success rate of just 50%, which is far from good enough, especially when Leeds needed to be clinical and concise in their attacks against the league leaders.
Considering he has averaged an 80.8% pass success rate across his 14 Premier League appearances so far this term, it seems clear that the Colombia international was way below his best on Saturday afternoon.
The winger also failed to contribute a single shot or successful dribble, which again is disappointing for a player that Leeds spent £21m on last summer, following a phenomenal campaign in the Eredivisie which produced 12 goals and seven assists.
Leeds were perhaps never going to create too many attacking openings against Mikel Arteta's side but on the occasions that they did get forward, Sinisterra often let them down, with Leeds Live reporter Beren Cross summing up best, writing:
"Sinisterra far too lax with a countering opportunity and gives the ball away with a poor backheel attempt."
The young wide man, who earns £65k-per-week at Elland Road, was brought in as a replacement for Raphinha but has so far failed to fill the Brazilian's boots at Elland Road, with just two goals and no assists in the Premier League this season, with a woeful WhoScored average rating of 6.43.
It seems clear that the attacker needs to do a lot more if he is going to keep his starting spot in Gracia's side for the rest of the season, with improved performances a must if Leeds are going to avoid relegation.