Leeds United's Laurens De Bock warming to new surroundings

IN THE warmer climes of southern Spain, Leeds United's squad picked a good week to be 1,500 miles from home, at arms' length from discussions about their agonising defeat to Millwall and far removed from the mayhem caused by the club's attempt to unveil a new badge.
Leeds United's recent recruit, Laurens De Bock. PIC:  Tony JohnsonLeeds United's recent recruit, Laurens De Bock. PIC:  Tony Johnson
Leeds United's recent recruit, Laurens De Bock. PIC: Tony Johnson

Pontus Jansson tweeted to say he was in “a state of shock” after the design of the crest was unveiled on Wednesday and the furore it caused did not fail to register in Murcia, but the players were able to cut themselves off amid double training sessions and 25-degree heat.

They flew out to Spain on Monday and back home on Friday, with tomorrow’s game at Hull City awaiting them.

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“It’s good for everyone to come away,” Thomas Christiansen said.

New recruit Laurens De Bock has been impressed with coach Thomas Christiansen.New recruit Laurens De Bock has been impressed with coach Thomas Christiansen.
New recruit Laurens De Bock has been impressed with coach Thomas Christiansen.

The training camp was already organised before last weekend’s brutal battle with Millwall, but it was understandable in any case if Christiansen felt the need to clear a few heads with a change of scene.

January has not been kind to him – a litany of defeats, dropped points, red cards and selection problems – and United’s head coach hoped that three full days near the Mediterranean coast would help to draw a line under a fairly exhausting period.

Nothing drained Leeds more than their 4-3 loss to Millwall, a game which put both clubs through the wringer several times. United took immense credit for finding a way to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead, despite a red card shown to captain Liam Cooper, but both Christiansen and his players saw the scoreline for what it was: another poor result against a club who had not won at Elland Road for eight years or won away from home all season.

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“Sometimes in the end it’s all about the result,” said Laurens De Bock, Leeds’ new left-back who made his debut in that game. “We’re proud about the way we came back but the defeat is more what we care about.

New signing Adam Forshaw could get a run-out against Hull City. PIC: Andrew VarleyNew signing Adam Forshaw could get a run-out against Hull City. PIC: Andrew Varley
New signing Adam Forshaw could get a run-out against Hull City. PIC: Andrew Varley

“We have to take our lessons from the defeat and take them to the next game, thinking about how we can do better. That’s the feeling the team had.”

Leeds have binged all season on up-and-down runs of consistent results: seven games unbeaten at the start of the season, seven defeats in nine after that and a haul of 16 points from six matches in late November and December.

January brought another stumble and Christiansen’s squad have not registered a victory since their visit to Burton Albion on Boxing Day. The club’s league position, 10th, is their lowest of the season.

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Hull away tomorrow – a fixture delayed by four days after City reached the FA Cup’s fourth round – is as must-win a match as Leeds have had yet.

New recruit Laurens De Bock has been impressed with coach Thomas Christiansen.New recruit Laurens De Bock has been impressed with coach Thomas Christiansen.
New recruit Laurens De Bock has been impressed with coach Thomas Christiansen.

Cardiff City come to Elland Road next weekend and that date signals the start of a sharp window in which United will play almost every one of the clubs with a foot in the promotion race. Hull, in contrast, are 21st in the league after a bad defeat to Sunderland last Saturday. A lovely chip from Pablo Hernandez took their scalp at Elland Road on December 23.

Individually, De Bock’s debut at left-back against Millwall was something for Christiansen to enthuse about.

The Belgian was unable to cut out the crosses for Millwall’s first two goals, but he looked competitive and showed a nice touch after Leeds reverted to a three-man defence in the second half. United were within touching distance of an astonishing victory until Millwall scored twice in the dying minutes to leave Christiansen’s players on their knees.

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“I think I did pretty well, but unfortunately we had the result,” De Bock said. “It was a crazy game, I’ve never had that in my life before. But I was quite positive about my debut. Only the result could be better.”

New signing Adam Forshaw could get a run-out against Hull City. PIC: Andrew VarleyNew signing Adam Forshaw could get a run-out against Hull City. PIC: Andrew Varley
New signing Adam Forshaw could get a run-out against Hull City. PIC: Andrew Varley

The 25-year-old, who Leeds signed for £1.5m from Club Brugge this month to fill the vacancy for a specialist left-back, said the trip to Spain had done him good.

“We had long sessions and it was all a bit intensive,” he said. “We’re doing everything to win this game. For me it’s a good way to get to know the boys a little bit better. It makes it a bit easier to be in the team.

“We can reload our batteries and it’s a good way to do it, a few days away from the English weather and training on very good pitches under the sun. It makes the team a bit closer.”

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Adam Forshaw could follow De Bock in making his Leeds debut at Hull after arriving from Middlesbrough last week, but Christiansen’s head count is somewhat sparse. Eunan O’Kane and Samuel Saiz were already suspended and Cooper begins a four-match suspension tomorrow. Kalvin Phillips is out for two matches after receiving his 10th yellow card of the season. Luke Ayling and Caleb Ekuban, meanwhile, missed the trip to Spain as they continued to recover from long-term injuries.

Despite the problems facing Christiansen, De Bock said he had been impressed with his first taste of the Dane’s management.

“He’s a very good coach,” De Bock said. “He talks to everybody, gives good instructions and everyone knows what to do.

“There’s no complaining about him.”