Leeds United take on QPR this Wednesday aiming to restore their winning ways, currently unbeaten at home this season in the Championship
Daniel Farke’s side were not up to scratch in their away trip to Southampton at the weekend, knowing they will need to be better if they want to start producing winning runs in the Championship.
Up next, they take on a side sitting in the relegation zone in Gareth Ainsworth’s QPR, who are five points worse off than Leeds with one win less.
Pascal Struijk is perhaps the only defender in the back four from St Mary’s that came away from that performance and result with any sort of credit, having reduced the deficit with his second half effort.
The two full-backs and Liam Cooper struggled a lot to cope with Southampton’s threat, starting just minutes in when Adam Armstrong was played through off the back of Cooper to see the home side take the lead.
Things never improved from thereon and it forced Leeds to drop down to ninth in the table, a whopping 11 points off the pace already.
Cooper’s performance brought a 3/10 YEP rating, and it seemed baffling that Farke omitted Joe Rodon from the side in the first place.
However, with QPR up next at Elland Road, he will surely bring the Wales centre-back into the lineup to partner Struijk.
Leeds’ best defensive performances in a couple of years came with these two playing together, forming a strong bond already at the heart of defence.
It seems a no-brainer to think Cooper will be dropped for Rodon to make his much-desired return.
