Paul Robinson defends Illan Meslier, insists Leeds United miss Liam Cooper
We’re delighted to welcome former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson as our exclusive columnist as each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Leeds United...
Paul Robinson has defended Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier despite the huge number of goals he is conceding.
The former Whites stopper insisted that the defending has been nowhere good enough, admitting that Liam Cooper is badly missed.
The Scotsman injured his hamstring in the 2-2 draw against Brentford and looks to be ruled out until 2022.
“I don’t think Meslier has played badly in any of the games,” he exclusively told MOT Leeds News. “I don’t think you can point any of the goals to him.
“Defensively, they have been poor, conceding too many chances and conceding too many goals. It’s very obvious to say, but you can’t blame the goalkeeper for the goals conceded.
“He’s kept his calm, and in all of this, he’s played reasonably well.
“They’ve missed his [Cooper] leadership qualities, they really have. The second half of last season, there was a huge shift defensively.
“They improved and they haven’t shown that resilience this season, they’ve continued to go man for man across the pitch, the defending has been poor.
“This season, they have gone back to where they were last season.”
Tables have turned?
Cooper has often been the scapegoat at Elland Road over the years, but it looks as though that is no longer the case.
The skipper endured a solid start to the season while people were dropping like flies around him, but unfortunately, he fell foul of that as well.
One thing that everyone can agree on, whether they like Cooper or not, he has been reliable and has been available every single week for years before this blow.
As for Meslier, he has pulled off numerous brilliant saves in recent weeks and he saved Leeds from Arsenal doubling their total in the first half in the 4-1 defeat.
Hopefully, the likes of Cooper can return soon and those boosts will help the likes of Meslier to return to normal procedure, picking up some clean sheets along the way.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites are ready to make major January signings with unexpected deals to force action