Leeds United news: Jamie Carragher question murder ball, Liam Cooper shuts out noise, Dan James gives early impressions

Carragher questions demands of ‘murder ball’

Ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher quizzed Leeds captain Liam Cooper on Sky Sports in the wake of the 1-1 draw with Newcastle about just how difficult ‘murderball’ really is.

Carragher asked: “Can I just ask you, not just so much the game but this training and murder ball.

“How hard is that? Is this just man-to-man all over the pitch? Is it another 90-minute game, explain it to me.”

Cooper responded: “It usually four segments of five minutes.” to which Carragher responded: “Is that all?”

Cooper then continued: “Multi balls all around the pitch. He expects the intensity to be there. There aren’t any fouls, so you can get stuck into each other.

“It’s high intensity. I am sure Marcelo would invite you down to watch a session. But it’s hell for leather. We get a lot out of it. It’s probably the best session of the week, for me and the lads as well. We enjoy it.”

Liam Cooper dismisses background noise

“Sometimes you can listen to the outside noise about wanting to change but the boys know we’ll never do that, we know what’s made us successful.

“We know what we have to be at our best and we can’t afford to have six, seven players turn up on the night we need the full 11 and the three coming off the bench as well.

“That’s what we pride ourselves on we need that, if we keep going, keep improving and keep buying into that it’ll come.”

Dan James settling in nicely

“I am delighted to get my first start,” James explained to the LUFC website.

“I am glad to be here now, the fans were amazing tonight and they follow us everywhere.

“The style of football is obviously great and I will just keep learning off the manager.

“It’s really exciting, it is one v ones all over the pitch which I want to be involved in and something I will keep developing.”

James praised his fellow winger Raphinha, saying: “It was a bit fortunate to go in from Raphinha but it’s a great cross.

“Nobody has touched it on the way through, but it’s a great ball in and thankfully went in the back of the net.

“From then on, we had two or three chances, especially one at the end of the first half and we needed to put that away to go into half-time with the lead.”