"It's a very big club" - Wayne Rooney drops Leeds United claim as Plymouth Argyle prepare for Elland Road trip | OneFootball

Wayne Rooney has issued a rallying cry for his Plymouth players ahead of their Leeds United clash this weekend

Wayne Rooney has called Leeds United a big club as he issues a rallying cry to his Plymouth Argyle squad ahead of Saturday’s clash at Elland Road.

The Pilgrims will be underdogs in many people’s eyes this weekend when they travel to face the Yorkshire outfit.

Rooney’s side have not won any of their last three league games, and are in danger of slipping into the bottom three without another defeat on Saturday.

One point from their last three has left them on 12 points from their opening 12 games, raising concerns over their form to start the campaign.

Rooney is under pressure to get results, otherwise his position at Home Park will become under risk.

Rooney issues Plymouth rallying cry ahead of Leeds clash

The Plymouth boss has called Leeds a big club ahead of their meeting on Saturday, suggesting the key to a successful result will be to quieten down the Elland Road crowd.

He has revealed that the team has worked out during the week to become more compact and harder to break down, which he hopes will yield a positive result this weekend.

“It's a historic club, a very big club,” said Rooney, via the club’s official website.

“They always create a good atmosphere for the team, but it's on us now to go there, we have to be able to play in that atmosphere and try and quieten the crowd down.

“I think the last three games for us, we’re letting goals in too easily.

“It needs to be more difficult for the opposition to score against us, so it’s something we've focused on this week, to try to be a bit more resilient, getting into our shape quicker, getting to the ball and being more aggressive.

“It's a big challenge for us on Saturday, but one I think we're ready for.”

Plymouth Argyle league position

Defeats to Millwall and Cardiff City, as well as a draw against Preston North End, in their last three games have seen Plymouth drop to 21st in the table.

Rooney will be hoping to get the team back to winning ways at Elland Road, but the Whites have lost just once in their opening 12 fixtures this season.

Defeat to Daniel Farke’s side could see the Pilgrims drop into the relegation zone, if Luton Town or QPR win their respective clashes.

Plymouth travel to face Leeds on Saturday in a 3pm kick-off.

Pressure will build on Rooney if results don’t improve

While there should be no major backlash to a defeat to Leeds in isolation, Rooney will be under fire if the team puts in another poor performance this weekend.

Plymouth have conceded nine goals in their last three games alone, and have been porous at the back this campaign, so a trip to Elland Road will be a big test of the work they’ve put in this week to improve that area of the team.

Only Portsmouth (25) have conceded more than Plymouth’s 22 goals against from these opening 12 games, so this simply must improve if the team is going to avoid a relegation battle this year.