Micah Richards suggests Leeds United star Illan Meslier should start against Man City

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Micah Richards has suggested that Illan Meslier should start for Leeds United against Manchester City this weekend, despite his recent form. 

Meslier is going through a difficult run of form lately after making some costly errors over the past couple of weeks.

The 23-year-old was at fault for one of Fulham’s goals last weekend, while he made yet another error in the 4-1 defeat at Bournemouth on Sunday.

It’s fair to say the Frenchman is struggling for confidence right now and his dip in form couldn’t have come at a worse time for Leeds.

But Micah Richards feels that the Whites should start Meslier against City to avoid Joel Robles’ confidence also taking a hit. 

Richards suggests Meslier should start against City

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Richards suggested that Meslier’s poor form isn’t entirely his fault. 

“When Javi Gracia first came in it was away at Fulham and they looked more organised and were choosing their times when to press and drop off,” he said.

“But in actual fact he’s not been protected by his defence, in midfield in terms of what Leeds normally have in terms of energy, it doesn’t look the same.

“And yes, he could have done a lot better, of course he could.”

Chris Sutton then questioned whether it could be the right time to drop Meslier after his recent displays. 

He said: “Is there an argument to take him out the team though?

“Give him a break because at this moment in time he does look a bit frazzled, he’s not making the right decisions. Do you understand that argument?”

“Yeah, but Leeds have got Man City next so if we take him out the firing line and the other keeper concedes six goals you could have two keepers with shot confidence,” Richards responded.

“He’s making mistakes, of course he is, but I just think it’s the way Leeds play. It was set up to concede goals all around the pitch and they haven’t adapted to what the new manager wants.”

It’s difficult to agree with Richards considering Meslier’s recent form. The Frenchman has been fairly consistent for the Whites over the past couple of years, but he’s way below his best at the moment. 

Leeds have just four games left to rescue their season and avoid the drop. While you can see where Richards is coming from, they simply can’t afford to take risks between now and the end of the season.

The Whites have an experienced shot-stopper in Joel Robles and it seems like the right time for the Spaniard to come into the side.