Talking points from Millwall 0 Leyton Orient 1 – Lions have been too slow and not done enough in transfer window

Millwall were dumped out of the EFL Cup on Tuesday night after losing 1-0 to Leyton Orient in the second round of the competition.

Dan Agyei plundered the only goal of the match on a demoralising evening at The Den and Millwall’s misery was compounded in added-on time when Wales international striker Tom Bradshaw sustained a “serious” hamstring injury.

Here are Daniel Marsh’s talking points from the match.

A TOOTHLESS SHOWING

Millwall had given a good account of themselves in each of their four previous matches before welcoming Leyton Orient to The Den, but they were hopeless against the O’s.

The Lions were second best in the first-half and even after making changes and throwing caution to the wind, they didn’t register a shot on goal until deep into the second period.

On the whole, Millwall have impressed going forward so far this season and they’ve played good football too.

In truth, the Lions played like a side who had made eight changes and there’s been more than enough evidence already in recent weeks to believe that Tuesday night’s showing was an anomaly.

But Millwall need to respond properly on Saturday to lift the mood heading into the international break.

DEBUTS TO FORGET

Millwall fans got their first glimpse of new boy Daniel Kelly against the O’s, while former Reading winger Femi Azeez was handed a full debut after coming off the bench in Saturday’s 0-0 Championship draw at Hull City.

Unfortunately neither managed to make much of an impression, although it would be unfair to pick out any individuals.

Kelly was given 45 minutes alongside George Saville and head coach Neil Harris indicated post-match that it was always his plan to give the highly-rated 18-year-old a small taster of The Den rather than a full 90-minute bow against Orient.

And it was a tough night for Azeez, who gave the ball away in a poor area in the build-up to Dan Agyei’s goal.

Both will grow in a Millwall shirt and debuts are never easy – particularly in a much-changed team. But in terms of their first night on the job, it won’t be one that lives long in the memory.

ESSE STARS AGAIN

Romain Esse was the standout on a grim night for the Lions and the teenager is evolving into one of the club’s most important players.

Esse has started the season like a house on fire, scoring in back-to-back games against Portsmouth and Bristol City. He’s also grown into Millwall’s biggest threat going forward and his guile and ingenuity is unmatched.

He looked the most likely to make something happen against Leyton Orient and didn’t disappoint in the number 10 role that he looks best suited to long-term.

The England U20 international is in the final year of his Den deal and getting him tied down is a priority.

But even if Millwall do hammer out fresh terms with South London-raised Esse then enjoy him while you can – he’s starting to look every bit as good as people thought he could be and seems destined for the very top.

HARRIS – HARD DONE BY

If anything underlined the work that needed to be done in the summer transfer window, it was Tuesday night’s performance.

Millwall have performed well in the Championship and are deserving of a far higher points tally, but the depth of their squad is poor.

Signings will arrive. But the fact we’re at this stage of the window with just one fit senior striker is incredibly poor.

It’s not a secret that Millwall have been looking for a number nine, but they’re also light in other areas.

Three of Millwall’s first-choice back four – Japhet Tanganga, Ryan Leonard and Joe Bryan – have all struggled with injuries in the past and losing any of them would be a major headache.

It felt like Millwall could have done with signing two wingers rather than one heading into the summer, too, though that now seems unlikely.

But it’s about the outgoings, too. The squad needed freshening up and outgoings haven’t happened.

This Millwall team lacks athleticism and dynamism which doesn’t exactly seem like a recipe for success in an uber-competitive Championship.

Neil Harris worked wonders to keep Millwall up last season but his frustrations have been clear for all to see.

The Lions have been too slow and not done enough in the market.

Has Harris been given the tools to build on last year’s excellent finish to the season? At the time of writing, it doesn’t feel that way.

PICTURES: BRIAN TONKS