Millwall are putting a certain swagger in their simplicity under Neil Harris this season and, on Sunday, it had The Den roaring as the London outfit beat promotion-chasing Burnley 1-0.
The Lions have now conceded just one goal in their last five Championship matches. The side’s previous three have been 1-0 triumphs against the Clarets, Swansea City and Plymouth Argyle with a 1-1 against Derby County and a goalless draw against in-form West Brom preceding that run of wins.
It’s all been very Millwall, but that is no criticism. The way that Harris’ squad are buying into the coach’s system is enough to worry any team, especially when visiting The Den.
That will no doubt be the case for Leeds United and Daniel Farke. The Whites, who have their eyes set on promotion after narrowly missing out last term, travel to London unbeaten in eight and buoyed by a 3-0 win over Plymouth Argyle but there is no tougher fixture in the league right now than Millwall away.
As the organised Lions stunned Burnley, there were two players who Leeds United should be particularly fearful of ahead of Wednesday evening – Jake Cooper and Femi Azeez.
Jake Cooper poses goal threat
Cooper is a name familiar to Leeds United fans. The 29-year-old has faced the Whites 10 times and has racked up 358 Championship appearances during his career.
The experienced defender is tough to beat for forwards, but Leeds United should be wary of the centre-back’s presence at the other end of the pitch. Somewhat of a man mountain, Cooper has an impressive 26 goals and 15 assists across those second tier outings and is very much the target man in the box for Millwall.
It was the defender who scored the winner against Burnley last weekend and he poses such a problem to defenders with his 6 ft 6 height, that it can be simply impossible for opponents to get in his way. In a fixture which looks sure to play out in a similar way to Sunday, with an organised Millwall choosing their moments to hurt Leeds United, Cooper could be key again.
Femi Azeez put in ‘swashbuckling’ Burnley performance
The Lions are far from a side without attacking quality either, although recent injuries have not helped. Teenager Romain Esse has earned plaudits this term and is linked with a Premier League transfer but, on Sunday, it was left winger Femi Azeez who ran Burnley ragged. The former Reading man arrived at Millwall from Berkshire this summer and has taken some time to adjust to the Championship once again but is now raring to go.
Receiving a 9/10 from LondonWorld for his eager showing against Burnley, we wrote: “Had the beating of Humphreys all day on that right flank in what could be his best Millwall performance to date. Grabbed the assist for the goal in a swashbuckling performance.”
Romain Esse will no doubt be a threat if deployed on the left again but will be without the push of suspended left-back Joe Bryan. That could make Azeez’s influence even more important.
Neil Harris – ‘Cooper needs just one moment’
Speaking about the two after the match on Sunday, Harris said: “I thought everybody played well. I thought the shape was excellent and we used the ball really well. I was really delighted for Femi Azeez to come up with another assist, that’s two games in a row. Jake Cooper in a big moment, he’s done it again.
“I’ve been saying for years, he [Cooper] gets no protection whatsoever. It’s almost like he’s a 6 ft 8 giant, people are allowed to hang off him, hold his shirt and push him and pull him to the floor but as soon as he puts his arms up it’s a foul the other way.
“We were really disappointed with the officiating in the first half, we thought we got next to nothing go our way but that ultimately transpired into the fan base getting behind our team and the players at half time responded accordingly. Jake just needs one moment. Fantastic header.”
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