Damning Leeds United revelation sheds new light on players' past buy-in under Daniel Farke
Criticising Daniel Farke for overseeing just four wins in Leeds United’s last 14 league games is not fair, in his eyes. After Saturday’s loss, some fans pointed out the manager’s poor recent record when you club together the end of last season with the start of this term.
After that concerning pair of Easter weekend performances in 23/24, the Whites won just two of their final nine matches, including May’s play-off final. Two victories from the opening five games of this league season have had Farke’s critics drawing attention to the poor form he has overseen since the start of April.
This argument was put to the manager in Thursday’s press conference and he said it was entirely wrong to link two campaigns separated by more than two months and a swathe of transfers. Farke feels the circumstances around last season’s run-in and play-off results were entirely different to the context around his second term.
“No [it’s not fair to link the two], because it has nothing to do with it, because it was a completely different scenario and situation,” he said. “Last season is more or less like we were chasing. When you head into, for example, the last home game against Southampton and you know Ipswich [Town] needs, against an already relegated side, at home, just one point, you know it's not likely and then you take risks that you normally would never take.
“We wanted to overrun Southampton in this game, took this risk and also accepted we would lose this game because it did not do any harm. You can't compare a play-off situation with a normal league situation.”
Farke also points to the destabilising effect of uncertain futures on some players in last season’s group. The German intimated there were some players with one eye on their next move when both should have been on getting Leeds over the promotion line.
Patrick Bamford missed the final matches of the season through injury too. Farke said his availability could have been the crucial difference in seeing the Whites into the top flight.
“It's completely different, in terms of pressure and what happens with the game,” he said. “It's also a completely different scenario and different group. We had, sadly, in the last season, many players perhaps even thinking ‘Okay, what happens if?’
“It was difficult. We had a completely different group. There were also offers for some of our players and, of course, they were also a bit distracted. Key players were injured.
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“It would have been a different scenario if Patrick Bamford, after he had many, many goals in the second half of the season, if you would have had him for the final stages and also for the play-offs, really fit and in-form and in his rhythm. Right now, we have a completely different group.”
The physical output of this season’s group has impressed and relieved Farke somewhat. He feels the numbers show he has players who are going the extra mile for him, while there were some players not necessarily doing that for him through last term’s run-in.
“Our key players in key positions are gone,” he said. “Cree (Crysencio Summerville) is gone, Georgi (Georginio Rutter) is gone, Glen [Kamara] is gone, Archie [Gray] is gone and several other players. Daniel James, at the moment, not available. Patrick, not available.
“It's a completely different group. What we're doing right now, during this season, has nothing to do with what has happened last season. For that, we also can't be proud of 90 points last season, because it's a different group.
“I know we have to prove during this season we are capable to win a similar amount of points. We haven't proven it yet. We have to prove it, but also, in terms of outcome, it's a completely different team.
“I spoke about the physical output, for example, in this first five games. I'm really happy with this. It shows me the lads are willing to invest everything. In a few games at the end of last season, it was not really the case and this had some other reasons.
“It would be unfair to criticise the group right now for perhaps not a perfect away game whatever at QPR at the end of last season. It has nothing to do with each other.”