Former Leeds United man slams 'schoolboy' defending vs Middlesbrough as one Whites player singled out
Leeds United were well beaten in the Carabao Cup first round on Wednesday evening.
Danny Mills insists it would be ‘harsh on schoolboys’ to compare them with Leeds United after more poor defending compounded a miserable 3-0 defeat to Middlesbrough on Wednesday evening.
Leeds were eliminated from the Carabao Cup in the first round on a night in which defensive frailties came to the fore once again, with a tentative first-half performance turning into a second-half capitulation. Three goals in 16 minutes from Anfernee Dijksteel, Delano Burgzorg and Josh Coburn piled early pressure on Daniel Farke, with his side winless from their opening two home games.
Those two games have now seen Leeds concede six goals and some particularly poor defending was on show for Boro’s third, scored by Coburn, as the young striker got in ahead of Jayden Bogle to tap home from close range after Isaiah Jones and Alex Gilbert cut through the back-line. The right-back was not the only one to blame but got caught flat-footed, and Mills pulled no punches with his criticism.
“Daniel Farke went and sat straight down in the dugout, I think he’s trying to avoid anything that might be coming his way from the fans,” co-commentator Mills told talkSPORT after the third goal went in. “I mean, it’s far too easy, it’s a simple header, no one gets a tackle in, no one gets close, no one defends properly. Bogle doesn’t react, who has just come on, I mean it would be harsh on schoolboys to say it’s schoolboy defending, that is absolutely shocking from Leeds, really, really poor.”
That third and final goal came just minutes after Farke made five substitutions, of which Bogle was one, having rotated heavily for the midweek cup clash. The likes of Pascal Struijk, Ilia Gruev, Georginio Rutter and Wilfried Gnonto all started the evening on the bench but Boro boss Michael Carrick also made wholesale changes and pressure is already starting to mount inside Elland Road.
"I risked a little bit this game with having eight or nine rotations,” Farke said after the defeat. “I was of course hoping that we still find a way in order to be successful. I'm responsible that we won't win the Carabao Cup this season. I take it on the chin and the [fact] we changed so much, that was the reason we lost today.
"The 25 minutes [when Leeds conceded three] in the second half were not great and everyone has the right right now to be critical and to be disappointed. So are we. But everyone knows that's normally not us. We're normally pretty, pretty good at defending, with the most clean sheets last season, we had a brilliant pre-season without conceding.”
Leeds have now conceded six goals in their first two games, a far-cry from the defensive solidity that laid the foundation for last season’s promotion push, with starting centre-back pair Joe Rodon and Max Wober both struggling on Wednesday evening. The club were then rocked late on Wednesday evening amid news that Brighton had activated Rutter’s £40million release clause.
Club chiefs hold faint hope of keeping the 22-year-old and would even be willing to discuss a fresh contract offer. But a move away from Elland Road is looking increasingly likely and Leeds have just two weeks to replace him and Crysencio Summerville, while also adding depth in midfield and at full-back.