We were one of the advocates of starting Pontus Jansson over Liam Cooper in defence along with Gaetano Berardi at Leeds United. Our conviction was mostly based on last season’s performance especially the way the captain struggled after Christmas, but one has to say that Marcelo Bielsa has been able to transform the 27-year-old since he took over the reigns at Elland Road.
Not only has Cooper looked assured while defending, but the Englishman has shown that he can pick out a pass or two while building from the back. Berardi was a surprising choice for the centre back role this season, but one can understand why Bielsa turned towards him as he wanted a ball playing defender and given that he has played as a fullback, Berardi can carry out the ball from the back. However, since his injury, Cooper has done that job with aplomb and has quite easily looked one of the most assured members on the ball.
Cooper had joined the club in 2014, and one can say that he has come up leaps and bounds since then. The former Hull City defender looked like a classic English no-nonsense defender with little technical abilities on the ball, but he has become one of the important players at the club by 2018 under one of the most demanding managers the world has seen.
To go with that, the defender seems to handle everything maturely even off the pitch. The captain was asked about the competition for places at the back to which he said,”It’s massive. Pontus is a great lad and he’s an unbelievable player and we all push each other. I have been in Pontus’ shoes before and he’s been in mine and we all push each other and it’s good to know that the lads are rooting for us as well.”
Hopefully, there wouldn’t be any complacency from him or any other players as they continue their unbeaten run. Cooper said that they are going to continue working hard which is a good sign. He was quoted as saying. ”There’s a lot more to come from us and we know that but we have got to stay motivated for every game, game by game and long may the hard work continue.”
The attitude of the skipper is laudable and it shows that the players have a great camaraderie between them. There is no doubt that his resurgence has happened mostly due to him doing the hard yards in training. Cooper has also cut down on his silly errors and he reads the game that much better now as he restricts himself from lunging into rash challenges every now and then.
