Ally McCoist blown away by Leeds United captain Liam Cooper
Ally McCoist has sung the praises of Leeds United captain Liam Cooper after he helped Scotland to a vital 1-0 win over Moldova on Saturday evening.
Cooper, 30, started Wednesday’s disappointing 2-0 defeat to Denmark in Copenhagen but was benched for the visit of Moldova to Glasgow three days later.
However, he was called upon in the 73rd minute as his nation looked to close the game out to pick up a crucial three points in their quest to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
Speaking on Sky Sports [21:38, 04/08/21] during live commentary of the match, ex-Scotland striker McCoist was effusive in his praise for the Whites skipper’s leadership abilities.
“Cooper’s brilliant at that, marshalling the troops at the back, pushing them up,” McCoist said.
Value of the voice
Cooper’s inclusion in the Leeds starting XI has started to become a topic of discussion among the Whites faithful in recent times.
Diego Llorente and Robin Koch, two esteemed internationals for Spain and Germany respectively, were brought in for relatively big money last year, and they have already shown their qualities despite injuries.
Pascal Struijk, meanwhile, has been a revelation since stepping up from the under-23s to the senior side.
That means there are now four central defenders fighting for two spots in Marcelo Bielsa’s favoured 4-1-4-1 formation, though Koch and Struijk have stepped into midfield at times to cover Kalvin Phillips.
Bielsa has also adopted a three-man defence on occasions, which gives a better chance for a third centre-back to play.
But Cooper seems to remain a constant, despite calls in some quarters for him to be dropped.
That may be partly down to his leadership skills, as alluded to by McCoist.
There may be question marks over his defending and abilities on the ball, but he’s still showing some other important characteristics.
In other Leeds United news, Gabby Agbonlahor has mocked the Whites in a behind-the-scenes transfer suggestion.