Leeds United defender Jaka Bijol has found no comfort from his ongoing struggles in the Premier League with Slovenia.
Jaka Bijol has endured a bumpy start to life with Leeds, receiving criticism for his role in the dispiriting defeat against Nottingham Forest.
The Slovenian international signed for Leeds from Udinese in an £18 million deal, but was forced to wait for his chance in the first team, with Daniel Farke sticking with Pascal Struijk in the opening rounds.
Leeds have lost three of the four games that Bijol has started in the Premier League, conceding 11 goals in the process, slipping closer to the relegation zone with a difficult run of fixtures.
Bijol will now face Leeds teammate Gabriel Gudmundsson in a dead-rubber, having faced the “painful” experience of missing out on qualification for the World Cup with Slovenia.
Photo by JURE MAKOVEC/AFP via Getty ImagesLeeds United defender Jaka Bijol will not play at the World Cup
Bijol played the full 90 minutes as Slovenia fell to a 2-0 home defeat against Kosovo to confirm that they cannot qualify for the World Cup.
Speaking to Slovenian publication Ekipa after the game, the Leeds centre-back lamented the painful experience of missing out on the chance to represent his nation in North America this summer.
Bijol said: “They had their plan and they transferred it better to the field, we had no answer from the first minute. We have to move on.
MORE LEEDS UNITED STORIES
“I feel sorry for the Slovenian fans who were at the game; they tried very hard to support us. I’m sad for them, sad for us. There are always difficult moments for Slovenia; it’s never been all good, and we’ll have to get through this.”
He added: “It’s even more painful that it all ended in Stožice. We always said that this was our fortress; we spent several years building this story.
“We are all disappointed, but we have no choice but to raise our heads and play one last match in Sweden. We will have to start writing a better story again, and I am sure we will succeed.”
Photo by Damjan Zibert/Soccrates/Getty ImagesJaka Bijol endures another difficult night in defence
Bijol reprised his role at the heart of a back five in Slovenia’s latest defeat, a formation that Daniel Farke could be tempted to use with Leeds.
Although the Leeds defender was not at fault for either of Kosovo’s goals, he had a quiet night in the back four as he conceded two or more goals for the third consecutive appearance for club and country.
Jaka Bijol vs Kosovo
Touches – 80Accurate Passes (Success Rate) – 54 (79%)Accurate Long Passes (Success Rate) – 6 (50%)Ground Duels Won (Success Rate) – 2 (40%)Aerial Duels Won (Success Rate) – 4 (57%)
According to the data from FotMob, Bijol’s radar was off with the ball at his feet, as he completed just 79% of his passes, including just 50% of his long passes attempted.
The Leeds man also made just four defensive contributions, losing six duels in total, as he struggled to make an impact in his side’s damaging defeat.