Simon Grayson made no excuses for his back four after the side let in three goals at Southampton.
Only Paul Connolly in the defence has featured in all the pre season games for Leeds this season.
Goalkeeper Andy Lonergan was making only his second appearance in a Leeds shirt whilst left back Darren O`Dea only joined up with the squad on Friday after signing from Celtic.
Andy O`Brien played his first game of pre season last weekend after suffering a hip injury at the start of pre season and fellow centre back made his first competitive start for Leeds since March 2010.
Grayson also blamed lack of protection from the midfield but stated that as proven professionals there was no excuse for their performances.
Speaking on Yorkshire Radio, Grayson said, “It was difficult for the back four today because they weren`t getting too much protection in front of them. We had O`Brien, who had only played 45 minutes against Newcastle and a practice match the other day. Paddy (Kisnorbo) played his first full game in the league for a long time, Darren O`Dea only came in on Friday, but that is no excuse, it`s not like we have thrown the team together, as proven professionals, what we`ve done all pre season and what we did last year, we can`t use that as an excuse.”
Leeds were picked apart for all three goals. The midfield was nowhere to be seen for the first goal, with Southampton midfielder Dean Hammond travelling twenty yards unchallenged before firing past Andy Lonergan.
Adam Lallana made experienced defender Andy O`Brien look statuesque for the second goal, cutting inside him with ease.
The third goal came after a quick interchange between the Southampton attackers found David Connolly in plenty of space, with time to pick his spot.
The performance showed that Leeds could once again be conceding many goals this season, after letting in seventy in the Championship last season.
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