Journalist Beren Cross has urged Jesse Marsch to drop Diego Llorente in favour of Liam Cooper after Leeds United’s latest game.
It was hardly a good day for anyone who played in the defence for the Whites this weekend, as they suffered a heavy Premier League defeat away from home.
Indeed, Brentford scored five times as they claimed a fairly compressive 5-2 win over Marsch’s men – who conceded some comically poor goals.
At the heart of it, in the eyes of Cross at least, was Llorente, who was particularly culpable for a ‘truly abysmal’ fifth goal scored by the Bees’ Yoane Wissa.
When speaking about it on a LeedsLive Facebook stream, Cross claimed that Marsch should now drop Llorente in favour of Cooper.
He said: “The fifth goal is just the worst of the lot. Trying to do a drag-back inside his own defensive third with Wissa two or three yards away from him. And he just gets the ball taken off him and they go away and score a fifth goal – truly abysmal.
“And with captain Liam Cooper on the bench now, I think it’s pretty obvious what needs to happen in nine days’ time against Nottingham Forest.
“I think that Cooper certainly has to return in that match. Even if Marsch is looking on the bright side and believing in Llorente to turn it around, his confidence must be shot to bits and I just think you have to take him out of the firing line, almost, at this rate.”
Would you drop Diego Llorente for Liam Cooper?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts on Diego Llorente, Liam Cooper and Leeds United…
Leeds United skipper Cooper hasn’t been fit or trusted to start in the Premier League this season, but did at least get 45 minutes recently in the EFL Cup (via Transfermarkt).
Llorente, on the other hand, has played every minute in the league so far. However, that could soon change. The Spaniard certainly struggled against the Bees, with Cross handing him a 2/10 in his player ratings for LeedsLive as he labelled the display ‘pitiful’.
If Marsch feels the same way, we could soon see a change at the back for Leeds in their upcoming game, with Llorente dropping out to make space for Cooper.
He should drop Llorente for my Gran