'Nonsense', 'Isolated players' – Leeds fans fume as Christiansen makes statement about club
Thomas Christiansen has said that he was sacked because of the six-game suspension to his star player Samu Saiz., and Leeds fans are not happy with the remarks. Talking in his first interview since he was sacked, Christiansen pinpointed this as the straw that broke the camel's back, after a spate of injuries and suspensions decimated his squad. Talking to Danish newspaper BT, as quoted by the
, Christiansen said, "Our best player, Spaniard Samuel Saiz, got a red card for spitting at an opponent in the face as we went out of the FA Cup against Newport. "He got six matches out and some of the others also got long suspensions. "Samuel Saiz was our most important player in the offensive part of the game and we couldn’t afford to buy a new one. Suspensions and injuries piled up. The squad just wasn’t big enough for us to replace those players.” Talking after he was sacked, owner Andrea Radrizzani said it was a mistake to hire Christiansen in the first place, after a terrible run of results have left promotion hopes hanging by a thread. But, in these remarks, Christiansen isn't shouldering any of the blame. Fans aren't having it though, saying that it was his decision to play Saiz in a game he didn't need to. And they also claim there were wider problems than just saying Leeds are a one-man team. Here are the best reactions from Leeds fans following the interview:
Saiz was suspended after being introduced late on in the FA Cup game against Newport, which Leeds ended up losing. He has been one of the standout players this season and it is true that Leeds haven't won a game while he was out suspended. He is set to make his return tonight although new manager Paul Heckingbottom has warned fans not to expect too much too soon. In other Leeds news,