Jesse Marsch raves about Leeds United captain Liam Cooper, shares what he did after Watford win
Jesse Marsch heaped praise on his Leeds United captain Liam Cooper who was almost in tears in the dressing room after the 3-0 win over Watford.
The skipper only returned from long-term injury for the draw with Southampton in the previous game, but was badly needed to help maintain a clean sheet at Vicarage Road.
A scrappy game saw Watford launch wave after wave of attack during the second half with the score at 1-0, and only last-ditch defending from Cooper and Diego Llorente, coupled with a lack of attacking quality kept them at bay.
Marsch said after the game of Cooper, via the Yorkshire Evening Post: “He won his duels, his aerials, he was aggressive against the ball, didn’t lose any balls, he was fantastic.
“I had him speak to the team afterwards, I haven’t had a better captain in the entire time I’ve been a coach.
“He was great, he almost came to tears, he loves playing with the guys so much. I really like this group, they give everything they have.
“It fits with who I am and with what we’re trying to establish together.”
Ride it out
It was a sign of what had been missing for so long this season that the Whites came away with a win and a clean sheet.
This was the sort of game where too often this term a sloppy goal has been conceded, heads have dropped, and more have followed.
There arguably should not have been so much work for the recently-returned captain to do against a side second-bottom in the Premier League.
The holding midfield pair were poor, and the full-backs were beaten too often, but Cooper and Llorente did just about enough.
Once Rodrigo scored the second all the defensive work was proven worth it, as the home side wilted thereafter and Jack Harrison scored a brilliant third.
There was plenty to improve on from the win, but crucially it was a win, and Marsch is another big step closer to fulfilling his remit by avoiding relegation.
In other Leeds United news, the player ratings from the game have a huge range between highest and lowest, showing an uneven tale.