November’s international break has been much maligned for Leeds United supporters, starving the team of the opportunity to bounce back immediately from consecutive defeats to Leicester City and Crystal Palace.
Marcelo Bielsa has two weeks to work with the vast majority of his squad on how to improve ahead of their latest clash with Arsenal next weekend, but has been missing his captain Liam Cooper.
The Scot celebrated his country’s first qualification for a major tournament in 22 years as Steve Clarke’s men secured passage to UEFA EURO 2020 via a penalty shoot-out in Belgrade. Cooper did not take to the field in the nail-biting, eventual win over Serbia, but had been a big part of Scotland’s journey to their play-off decider.
Qualification comes at an opportune time for the 29-year-old, who has come under fire in recent weeks for the number of goals Leeds have conceded on his return to the side. It will no doubt act as a boost to the captain’s morale and self-confidence, to have achieved something historic for his country.
There is also the notion that because Cooper plays a more peripheral role for the national team than he does at Elland Road, his place in Steve Clarke’s squad next summer is not guaranteed.
Cooper has four senior caps for Scotland and was handed his debut by Clarke in 2019. He played the full 120 minutes prior to Scotland’s shoot-out victory over Israel last month. Without his interventions in that game, Scotland would not have had the chance to face Serbia in the play-off final.
Having the opportunity to play at a major international tournament is the highlight of many players’ careers. While Cooper’s lifting of the Championship trophy may trump any international success, he will not be passing up the chance to represent Scotland at the European Championships too easily.
It ensures Leeds should see the best of Liam Cooper for the remainder of the season, so he has the best chance of making the selection for Scotland’s opener against Czech Republic on 12 June.
Cooper will likely be on a high as he returns to Thorp Arch, which could be precisely what is needed to re-animate one of Leeds’ most pivotal and reliable players of the Bielsa era.
Strong performances from Robin Koch with Germany and similar qualification success for Ezgjan Alioski with North Macedonia will only serve to further boost the dressing room mood.
Following Kalvin Phillips’ first call-up to the senior England side, the midfielder performed brilliantly to begin the Premier League campaign, something which Cooper will hope to mimic throughout the next few months.
Provided the trio return to Leeds without any new injury concerns, Marcelo Bielsa could certainly utilise the wave that a handful of his key defensive figures are currently riding.
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