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‘At this stage…’ – Leeds United boss Daniel Farke delivers promotion race verdict after Sunderland slip
Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has stressed that he isn’t overly focused on the Championship standings after his side, along with Sunderland, Sheffield United, and Burnley, all dropped points over the weekend.
Farke’s team played out a 0-0 draw at Turf Moor on Monday evening against Scott Parker’s defensively solid Burnley.
Earlier in the weekend, Sheffield United suffered an unexpected loss to relegation-threatened Hull City on Friday, while Sunderland was held to a draw by Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.
As a result, Leeds remain at the top of the table with 60 points, followed by Sheffield United on 58, Burnley on 57, and Sunderland in fourth with 55 points.
Despite missing the chance to extend their lead, Farke expressed satisfaction with the point earned in Lancashire.
In his post-match press conference, he said: “I wouldn’t call it the most exciting football, but it’s a good result for us, a valuable point away from home.
It was a game with few mistakes, as both teams were more or less error-free, or at least without major mistakes. Both sides struggled to create many chances.”
“I’m happy with how we controlled their play without the ball. With the ball, I would have liked to see a bit more confidence and commitment in the final third, especially when playing against a well-organized team that has conceded very few goals this season.
When a chance presents itself, you need to be more assertive.”
When asked if Burnley’s cautious approach surprised him, Farke responded: “It’s not for me to judge how they played or what they should have done.
We focus on ourselves. Burnley has a unique approach that you need to be prepared for in order to handle it. You must be solid defensively when facing them.”
“The challenge is that they don’t take many risks with the ball in dangerous areas. If they lose possession, it’s in places where they can’t be hurt by a counter-attack.
This makes it difficult to create dangerous transition moments against them, and you’re left trying to break down a compact defense.
Credit to Scott Parker for how he sets his team up, as it’s tough to create chances against them.
Whether they should play more bravely or differently is not for me to say. It also speaks to our reputation that strong teams like Burnley are cautious against us.”
Regarding Sunderland and Sheffield United’s dropped points, Farke added: “At this stage, we’re not too concerned with the table.
With 17 games left, if we stopped earning points after today, we wouldn’t make the playoffs. Every game is important, and we’re happy with the point we earned.”
