the complete transcript of Daniel Farke’s news conference held before Leeds United’s Boxing Day match against Preston North End.
Looking ahead to Preston, the scoreline was great, but was that the best preparation for you?
It was definitely alright. These three points won’t help at all for the game at Preston. They play a completely different style of football than Ipswich. It’s a different approach and it’s no coincidence they had such an impressive start, especially the home games, they play with lots of intensity, aggressiveness, pretty direct and you have to be ready for the battle. Especially after a bad result at home they will be even more on it at home, they know with a good performance against Leeds United they can win their momentum back. We have to be fully aware it will be a battle and ready for a completely different approach. It’s a dangerous side and it’s a tough place to go.
What do you do now for these three days?
We are in a period when sadly we have to go three weeks more or less without a day off. Normally everyone wants to spend some time with their family but I tell my players they lead a privileged life, this is the price you have to pay sometimes. I don’t want to hear any moans or something like this. They have to be professional. We are in tomorrow, recovery session for those involved, proper session for those not involved. For me and my staff, preparing for Preston. Christmas day training, team meeting about the way they play, travel to Preston and night in the hotel. Then you have to repeat everything for the next games because it is the same turnaround. It’s important the players spend even more importance on their nutrition, sleep, good recovery and habits. It’s important in this festive period to win many points to finish in a good position. For that we have to be professional.
Is this where you see the attitude of players and most important ones not playing keep the pressure on and stay on that high level?
Yes, absolutely. Luke sadly had some knee problems, that was why he wasn’t in the squad. I hope he can return back pretty soon. The same perhaps with Sam Byram, rehab looks good, so I hope he can perhaps return a bit quicker. We’ll see what the next days will bring. Jamie, I hope the same, that he can be a topic in the next games and I hope Jaidon Anthony will be back pretty soon. Illness can be two or three days, so normally pretty quickly back in training. We need all the players right now. I think we won’t start each and every game with the same line-up with four games in nine and a half days. For that, we need all the players in the squad in this festive period.
Can I ask about Patrick Bamford and his general demeanour? Is he happy at Leeds right now?
Well, you have to ask Patrick, I can just judge what I see. His attitude and behaviour in the dressing room and on the training pitch is brilliant. He’s so supportive, he talks with Georgie, Joel, especially Georgi as he is still a young striker, always, Joffy to give some tips because of his experience. If you’d ask these players they’d say it’s brilliant to have a guy like Patrick around. With his experience of the Championship, you can always learn, I think it’s very beneficial and I can just praise his attitude and character so far. I was also a striker and a goalscorer, life is just good if you score. I feel he’s happy when we win but I can remember my times, I was only 100 per cent happy when I also scored. You need this mentality as well as a striker and I can understand after a game we won, like today, when he was desperate to be there with a goal and break little bit the curse and be there with a goal, I totally understand that a natural born striker that you are not happy if you didn’t score or play each and every minute. For that, I have no signs he’s not happy. I know he would prefer to start each and every game, but we have lots of competition and top players. Everyone has to accept sometimes they’re not in the line-up or like a couple of players today, even in the squad, if you want to be successful you need to have this competition and that’s what we have.
I was excited when we signed him and brought his potential, but devastated with his long-term injury because I know it was a difficult start to the season for him anyway. To be out for eight weeks was difficult for him. I think it was solid performances in the first two or three games when he came in, I mentioned to him I wanted him to step up, I asked for it, and he did this today. Well done for him, good for his standing in the group and his confidence, but it was just one game. I’m far away from praising him too much, he has to keep going and deliver to label him a crucial part for us. He has the potential to do this, he has at least one outstanding performance right now but he has to keep good going. Quality is not just one good game, or one good week or month, it’s consistently over a longer period. This is what I want to see from him.
After the defeats this season, your team has been really good at responding, so is it important after a good day like this as well that there is no slacking off?
Yes, exactly. I’m never too down after a little set-back, it’s important about how you react, I’m also not over the moon after an impressive day like today. This is what winners do, make sure they’re on the same level after an impressive day after today. The only problem is that you can’t expect it’s always a game like this, 3-0 up at half-time, everything looks easy. You keep the opponent calm and down, it’s a difficult game at Preston on the road it could be a hard fought game for some points. Sometimes you have to be also happy with one point away on the road. We can’t be there for 46 games with just one type of performance and it felt more like an easy and comfortable win, this is not the Championship, but the way you go into this game after an impressive performance, it’s where I want to see ok we are there, focused and concentrated, this is quite crucial.
