“Abysmal” £40k-p/w dud was torn apart by Bournemouth

Leeds United look destined for a return to the Championship as their Premier League woes continued on Sunday afternoon.

Javi Gracia witnessed his side capitulate away from home once again, this time being thrashed 4-1 by AFC Bournemouth, who are all but safe following the stunning victory at Dean Court.

There were horrible mistakes right across the pitch – with Illan Meslier bereft of confidence, he registered another blunder, although the surprise change in the tactical system, reverting to a back three hardly helped matters.

It meant that Rasmus Kristensen, a right-back by trade, was pushed inside to partner skipper Liam Cooper and Robin Koch and he was left woefully exposed by the trickery and pace of the Cherries’ frontline.

How did Rasmus Kristensen play vs Bournemouth?

That is probably an experiment that the Spanish head coach will avoid repeating, should he still be in a job after the bank holiday weekend.

Indeed, the Denmark international registered the second-worst rating of any outfield player (5.8) and it’s easy to see why as the 25-year-old was dribbled past twice, whilst he also committed one foul and lost 71% of his battles, both ground and aerial duels, via Sofascore.

Kristensen, who earns a reported £40k-per-week at Elland Road, looked lost at times as the home outfit only really had to turn up and stick the ball in the net, having been met with very little resistance from Leeds’ leaky backline.

Yorkshire Evening Post reporter Graham Smyth lambasted the £10m summer signing in his post-match ratings column, where he highlighted his ‘dreadful distribution’ – backed up by the fact that he turned over the ball 10 times from 65 touches and misplaced as many as eight long balls, per Sofascore.

It’s not the first time that the former RB Salzburg man has been criticised, though, even when playing in his more natural right-back role. Only a few weeks ago, Kristensen was lambasted as “appalling” by fellow YEP journalist Leon Wobschall, whilst MEN’s Conor McGilligan suggested that he was a “League One defender” just last weekend.

Based on that logic, it’s perhaps little surprise to have seen Kristensen absolutely ripped apart by the Cherries’ attack of Dominic Solanke and Dango Ouattara, and then later Antonine Semenyo and Jayden Anthony.

With Weston McKennie also putting in a stinking performance, it’s fair to suggest that the Danish defender was equally abysmal, just as evident above.