Leeds United defender Diego Llorente has been blasted by the Italian media for his performance in Roma’s 2-0 defeat to Slavia Prague on Thursday.
As per Forza Roma, Llorente’s uncertainty in defence was ‘dangerous’ to his own team due to a repetitive amount of mistakes, particularly in the second half.
Having spent the second half of last season on loan at Roma, Llorente returned for a second spell in the summer and up until last night, had been largely impressive for Jose Mourinho’s side.
However, he has come in for some serious criticism for his contribution to Roma’s defeat in Prague yesterday, which actually ended their 100% record in the Europa League this season.
Llorente has been filling in for the injured Chris Smalling over the last couple of months, with his display last night prompting the Italian media to suggest he is no where near the Englishman’s level.
Leeds loanee Llorente blasted for Roma performance
In Forza Roma’s post-match piece, Llorente was handed a rating of 4.5/10, with his mistakes ultimately proving costly in their 2-0 defeat.
They wrote: “In the first half he seemed to have mastery of the area. Enough to make Slavia nervous and they risk having him end up on the bench with a clear push. In the second half he anesthetized the performance so much that he remained to watch Jurecka’s tap in.
“Another mistake, however remedied by a recovery, in the 60th minute. Then more dangerous stuttering. It’s not Smalling, we know that.”
This was always the problem with Llorente. One week he could look extremely solid, but the next he would all over the place at the back, which is why he lost his place at Leeds.
Mourinho has probably had to play Llorente a bit more than he would’ve liked this season, as ultimately he is only backup to the injured Smalling. It is not the first mistake he’s made recently.
However, the more he plays and produces performances like this, the less likely, you would imagine, that Roma sign him permanently next summer.
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