Danny Murphy believes that the Leeds United ‘spygate’ controversy has been exaggerated into a bigger issue than it actually is.
A Leeds employee was found at Derby County’s training ground ahead of the Friday night clash between the two clubs – which the Whites went on to win 2-0 – something which boss Marcelo Bielsa has taken full responsibility for.
However, despite the furore surrounding the incident, BBC pundit Murphy reckons that there has been an overreaction to it all.
“The Leeds story is entertaining but, from a professional’s point of view, it’s a mountain out of a molehill. Frank Lampard said himself that he couldn’t blame Derby’s defeat on having their training watched,” he said in his Daily Mail column.
“Teams can see how their opponents play every week either by scouting or watching video analysis. The only area where you may get a heads-up is set-plays but even then you still need 11 players to be concentrated enough to carry out instructions. Spying on another team is not right and I don’t agree with it at all but I’d never use it as an excuse for losing.”