Andy Hinchcliffe told Sky Sports PL during their live coverage of Leeds’ defeat to West Ham that Sebastien Haller was ‘bullied’ by Liam Cooper on Friday.
Even though West Ham came out as 2-1 winners against Marcelo Bielsa’s side, Hinchcliffe thinks Haller, 26, had a tough night against Leeds at Elland Road.
Injuries have hit Leeds’ backline recently and Bielsa opted to partner the experienced Cooper alongside Luke Ayling at the back.
Hinchcliffe highlighted the ‘frustrating’ evening Haller had to endure, as he played as a lone striker with Michail Antonio on the sidelines with an injury.
“He’s had a really frustrating night,” said Hinchcliffe. “He’s missed chances. His first touch hasn’t been good enough. He has been bullied by the Leeds centre-halves.
“You have to keep going. Keep concentrating on your job. And don’t let his head drop.
“Once again, Haller has been bullied by Liam Cooper. You have got to be stronger [in winning his aerial battle].”
David Moyes has got a lot of things right during his time at the club, including starting Said Benrahma for the first time on Friday.
But Moyes’ call to drop Haller to the bench after he scored the winning goal at Sheffield United was a mistake because it resulted in Antonio suffering another knock and the 2019 signing suffering another hit in the conference department.
Saying that, Haller was still able to muster an overhead kick late on in the game, only for Leeds’ in-form keeper to ensure the luck isn’t with him at all, at this moment in time.
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