Daniel Farke is never one to panic even when it feels like everyone else around him at Leeds United might be.
Farke has come under pressure this week after Leeds‘ defeat to Burnley last weekend, which was their first of the season in the league.
Leeds really struggled to create too much in the way of clear cut chances in what was a similar manner of defeat to what was seen on several occasions last season.
However, Farke hit back at those claims in his pre-Cardiff City press conference on Thursday by suggesting it was the big moments that simply went against his side against Burnley.
And it’s that sort of calmness which prompted chief executive Angus Kinnear to praise Farke publicly during his recent annual interview with the Square Ball.
Firpo on what Farke has told Leeds squad this week
Regardless of Farke‘s comments this week, there is no doubt the pressure is on for Leeds to return to winning ways against Cardiff tomorrow.
The Bluebirds sit bottom of the table with just one point and one goal in their opening five matches this season, with manager Erol Bulut under mounting pressure.
And against such a struggling side, failure to win for Leeds would turn a fairly decent start into a really poor one.
However, speaking to LUTV ahead of the match, defender Junior Firpo says Farke delivered a speech to the squad this week about their strong underlying numbers, which he believes will pay off over the full season.
He said: “I think the manager gave us a speech about it this week. He brought up some stats that are pretty much the reality, I think we are doing the right things, and are on the right track.
“Obviously we haven’t had the start everyone wanted, including us. But as you say it is about fine margins, against Portsmouth it is a game you win all day, but we draw.
“Against Burnley it is a game you at least draw but we lost, it’s fine margins but if we do that over 46 gamedays, I am pretty sure we will be in the position we want.”
Firpo spotted in full Leeds training
Firpo was actually mentioned as one of four players who have been nursing injury issues over the course of this week.
Farke named him, Manor Solomon, Joe Rothwell and Joe Rodon as potential doubts for this weekend’s match, though the Leeds boss is cautiously optimistic they will all make it.
And that optimism looks like it could prove true as each of that quartet apart from Rodon were all spotted in Leeds’ latest inside training video.
That would suggest perhaps their fitness issues came at the start of the week and so are now fully fit for Cardiff.
Leave a Reply