Leeds United: Liam Cooper will leave Daniel Farke cringing as he is bullied in Scotland v France
Liam Cooper played 64 minutes of Scotland’s 4-1 defeat to France on Tuesday (17 October), as the Leeds United defender struggled to contain Didier Deschamps’ front line.
The Scottish international has had a mixed start to the season, having picked up an injury on the opening day against Cardiff City, he has since only started two Championship games with Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk preferred in defence.
Similar has been true during his time with Steve Clarke’s side, with Cooper left on the bench for Scotland’s defeat to Spain in Euro 2024 qualifying on Thursday (12 October), he was afforded a rare chance to start in the friendly with France.
But the 32-year-old won’t have convinced Daniel Farke to restore him to the starting XI for the Whites’ clash with Norwich City on Saturday (21 October), as he and the rest of the Scottish defence were bullied by Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud.
The AC Milan forward in particular took advantage of Cooper in the closing stages of the first half, as Giroud bullied him at the back post, battling with the Leeds defender before he ultimately fouled the French striker and gave away a penalty.
Although Giroud is one of the better forwards in world football, the manner in which he won the penalty off of Cooper showed an incredibly poor and naive piece of defending from the Leeds United skipper as he clumsily hauled the 37-year-old to the ground.
Cooper was ultimately hooked by Clarke in the 64th minute having struggled to get a foothold in the game, having lost all three of his ground duels while also committing two fouls as he failed to complete a single tackle in the game [Fotmob].
Farke needs his defenders to be strong at the back to allow the attacking talent in his squad to flourish and if he can’t count on his captain to provide that presence in defence, he is unlikely to return to the starting XI in the coming weeks.
In his absence, Rodon has been exceptionally strong, barely allowing opposition forwards to get a touch on the ball, both for Leeds United and Wales. Struijk has been one of the best defenders in the Championship this year and it does feel as though Cooper has been reduced to a rotation option.
Hopefully, when he is called upon by Farke, he can deal with Championship strikers better than he could Giroud.
In other Leeds United news, the 49ers could be set to pump £200 million into Elland Road in the coming months