Robbie Keane says Liam Cooper needs to grab hold of Kalvin Phillips when Leeds United are under pressure in future.
The Whites suffered a heavy 6-2 defeat to Manchester United at the weekend in a game that saw them continually attack but exposed defensively.
It was a game that has created plenty of debate over Leeds' unique style under Marcelo Bielsa, which they persisted with despite going 2-0 down early on at Old Trafford.
Speaking to Premier League Productions, former Leeds striker Keane said his old club did not help themselves over how they approached the game, leaving too much space at the back.
Yet, instead of advocating a shift in style, the former Ireland striker said it was more of an issue of the defence needing to be protected by holding midfielder Kalvin Phillips.
"Leeds didn’t help themselves either," said Keane. "They vacated the space way too often. Phillips was all over the place. He happened to be taken off.
"They’ll play Burnley next week and will probably end up beating them 6-2. That’s the way Leeds are. When you play against the top teams you get found out sometimes.
"They need to be a bit more disciplined. The way they play. The way they run. They want to run over teams. But certain times you have to pick your moments and we saw Phillips a couple of times went out of position. And it’s very, very difficult when you are playing against top teams.
"That’s where the leaders need to come in there. If I am a centre-back Cooper there. I am making sure Phillips is sitting in front of the back four because it was attack after attack after attack.
"That’s where you need the leaders to grab hold of these players."
