"Pretty woeful" - Aim taken at Daniel Farke over lingering Leeds United, Illan Meslier situation | OneFootball

Leeds' fan pundit has suggested that Meslier won't be dropped but he is certainly on thin ice after his howler versus Sunderland

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Leeds United fans will be questioning Illan Meslier's status in the squad following his grave error at Sunderland last Friday, with Daniel Farke needing to make a decision on the French goalkeeper.

We're sure every EFL fan has seen the shocking error in the 97th minute from Meslier in Leeds' 2-2 draw at Sunderland a few days ago, but in case you haven't, it's below:

This howler has, naturally, prompted many Leeds fans to call for the Frenchman to be dropped after the international break. There are also serious questions whether Meslier can be the club's goalkeeper beyond the end of the season, if the ambition is Premier League football.

Now into the international break, Farke has a decision to make regarding the goalkeeper's status in the squad, after more mistakes for the Whites in the early part of the season.

A pressing matter, but does Meslier deserve to be dropped?

Leeds fan stance on Meslier's status in the squad

FLW's Leeds United fan pundit, Kris Smith, was asked whether their No.1 should be dismissed from the starting eleven following his huge mistake, or if Farke should keep him between the sticks.

"I don't really expect Farke to budge much when it comes to Meslier starting in goal even after the Sunderland howler. What really worries me is this unflinching stance he's got, which is that, 'Meslier is the best goalkeeper in the league', which really doesn't make any sense to me.

"I personally don't think he's anywhere near being the best goalkeeper in this league. Us fans watching can see the issues he's causing, whether it is shot-stopping or distribution, and the stats don't back him up either in terms of being the best in the league.

"He's nowhere near, he's closer to the bottom when you look at his expected goals prevented in the Championship.

"That error at Sunderland, as much as it was bizarre, and it shouldn't totally be held against him in terms of his position in goal, it's by no means the first time he's made an error that's cost us points in the Championship, it's more of a running theme than it is with the saves he makes.

"We shouldn't just have to accept players under performing consistently, because it's such an important position and when you look at our back-ups, we've got two very dependable keepers in Karl Darlow and Alex Cairns, who both have a lot of experience and have shown they can perform in this league.

"For me, the only thing that Farke could see that Meslier is better at, is his distribution. I don't see how that's the case, because his distribution has been pretty woeful this season, and I'm sure Darlow and Cairns can't be much worse than that."

Meslier on thin ice after Sunderland howler

Pressure is certainly growing on Meslier.

This isn't the first scenario where Leeds fans have been calling for the Frenchman to be dropped, with many fans saying his career continues to regress after his impressive start in Yorkshire. His concession against Portsmouth on the opening day, from the first shot on target he faced, had alarm bells ringing.

Now in his sixth season with the Whites, there are no more excuses for the Frenchman.

Yes, he has shown signs of brilliance during his time at Elland Road, but his statistics so far this season have proven his status is slipping as Farke's go-to goalkeeper.

It would be harsh to drop him for this one mistake, but if Leeds are to mount a promotion push, Meslier needs to step up big time and win back some of the points he dropped against Sunderland.