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Leeds fans fear another Pontus Jansson situation with Pablo Hernandez
A number of Leeds United fans have admitted that they are a little worried for Pablo Hernandez – with some fearful that he may get the same treatment that Pontus Jansson received during the latter stages of his time at Elland Road.
Leeds suffered a heavy defeat on Saturday. But much of the talk after the game centred around Hernandez’s omission from the squad at Selhurst Park.
The Spaniard reacted badly after being substituted against Leicester on Monday. And Bielsa confirmed after the defeat to Crystal Palace that he was fit but not selected (via ).
It was an alarming admission from Bielsa. Hernandez has been Leeds’s talisman for a number of years. And with a number of young players on the bench, it looked ominous that the 35-year-old was left out altogether.
It is a situation that fans will be hoping to see resolved as soon as possible. Right now however, some are concerned about what it could mean for Hernandez’s future.
It was just over a year ago that Jansson was surprisingly sold to Brentford. The decision came after a few notable incidents involving the Swede.
He, of course, showed the most discontent over allowing Aston Villa to score an uncontested equaliser in 2019. And it was surprising that he played no part in the second-leg of the play-off semi-final that year – even after Leeds had had a defender sent off.
It must be noted that Jansson insisted this year that the Villa incident had no impact on his relationship with Bielsa (via ).
But with Bielsa claiming after his departure that the centre-back was their best player in his final season (via ), you can understand why some may feel that the relationship deteriorated.
Again, it is not clear what the situation is between Bielsa and Hernandez. It may be that the pair have resolved any differences they may have had. But as Jansson’s departure perhaps shows, Bielsa is not afraid to make a ruthless decision if he feels that it will benefit the entire team.
Here is what some of the Leeds fans were saying about Hernandez’s omission and the potential parallels with Jansson…
Bielsa doesn’t seem to tolerate anybody challenging his authority or his ethos of side before self. Even by players he holds in the highest regard. Hope Pablo being dropped is a rap on the knuckles and no more but with Bielsa you never know. Ask Pontus.
— Prokyp (@Prokyp)
Two back to back 4-1 losses lead us into the next three fixtures :Arsenal , Everton and Chelsea . Marcelo’s biggest test since post lockdown last szn.
P.S.Pablo hopefully not getting the full Pontus treatment from Marcelo for dissent?— ViduKewell (@ViduKewell)
Team before any individual, Pablo has clearly not learned from the example Bielsa set with Pontus Jannson. I’m total with Bielsa on this. We’ve not got the greatest individual players but make up for it as a collective and the collective comes first.
— Chris Bosworth (@ChrisBosworth17)
If pablo gets treated like that I personally will lose all respect for bielsa. We wouldn’t even be in the prem if it wasn’t for hernandez. You can see how much the club means to him. If he treats pablo like he did pontus I think he will lose some of the dressing room too.
— Reggie (@Reggie51692213)
Wonder if there was also some incident with Pablo after the game at Leicester. We could have seen his last game in a Leeds shirt. The same happened with Pontus
— Sirj Singh (@SirjeetSingh)
At the end of the day Bielsa proved with Pontus who is boss and deserves ultimate respect.Pablo was upset to be subbed but chucking your armband away and shaking your head is showing disrespect and not setting a good example to the younger players,no matter how much we love him
— LUFCBANTS (@Jason197110)
Was Pablo doing a Pontus the last game when he was substituted?
You don’t play around with Marcelo Bielsa, that’s for sure.
— UffeLeeds (@UlfSundin1)