Leeds United midfielder Brenden Aaronson has told his teammates they 'must get better' defensively after a 3-1 loss to Manchester City at Elland Road saw them unable to capitalise on other team's losses earlier in the week.
An Erling Haaland brace saw his seasonal tally go up to 20, with those sandwiched in between a Rodri tap-in just before halftime and a Pascal Struijk header with 20 minutes left in the second half.
The result keeps the Whites in 15th place in the Premier League table, just two points above the relegation zone. Speaking after the match, Aaronson revealed the team's frustrations at conceding just before the break and highlighted what they need to do better in order to get results against tough opponents.
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"It's tough because I think for us to take that goal at the end of the half is always going to be a gut punch and I think we defended well and they're, for me, the best team in the world so it's tough on the day.
"We have some things we need to look at [defensively] but we do need to get better in some instances. There were a lot of 'What if's' [going forward] but it shows we're getting ourselves into those positions.
"Listen, they're the best team in the world so we didn't get a lot of chances in the first half but I think there's a lot to work on. I think in transition, we can be a lot better at holding the ball and being more comfortable in moments like that.
"There are points where we have more time than we think, so it's about working on these things in training and we'll get better."
The 22-year-old also seems to be ignoring the claws of the relegation zone and is simply looking ahead to what is now a scary fixture against Newcastle United who sit just two points behind City.
"I'm not focused on the table - I know all the guys aren't focused on the league table either, what we can control is getting better as a team and that's what our goal is.
"We'll go back, look at the things we can improve on. Watch film, look at them, see what they can do but ultimately it's what we do with the ball and hopefully we can go there and do our best."
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