Leeds United captain Liam Cooper has admitted that the team have got to do better defensively, following their 1-0 defeat to Charlton Athletic.

The Whites currently have the best defensive record in the Championship this season, although three of the five league goals they have conceded so far have come from dead-ball situations.

Leeds conceded from another set-piece against Charlton yesterday, as Maculey Bonne's 32nd-minute goal turned out to be the winner, commending the Whites to their second league defeat of the season.

It was another frustrating afternoon for Leeds, who once again dominated possession and created several scoring chances, but came away with nothing.

Cooper has described defending set-pieces as Leeds' Achilles' heel so far this season and has admitted that the team have got to do better in these situations, although he has insisted that their problems are not due to a lack of training.

"It's not from a lack of training it. We train it every day. Every single day we'll train set plays and if you don't win the first contact you have to win the second. It's our Achilles heel at the minute," Cooper said, as quoted by the Yorkshire Evening Post.

"We need to knock that out of ourselves. It's not good enough and we'll be looking to put it right. It's the only way at the minute that teams are hurting us. It's hard as a defender to see that. We've got to be better."

Leeds made a strong start to the new season, winning four of their opening five league matches, but have now only won one of their last four.

The Whites will be looking to get back to winning ways in their next game, but they now face a tough test against top-of-the-table West Bromwich Albion at Elland Road.

The Verdict

Cooper is right. Even though there was a huge slice of fortune about Charlton's goal yesterday, there's no doubt that Leeds have got to do better defensively.

I agree with Cooper though, I'm sure it's not from a lack of training, but it's still something that Leeds have got to put right, as it's something that other teams will pick up on and try to exploit.

As a defender, it must be difficult for Cooper to take, but the centre-back has got to make sure that the players do their jobs properly and don't switch off when defending set-piece situations.