West Bromwich Albion vs. Leeds United, the darkest hour is immediately before dawn.
The above adage is likely to ring true for Leeds United manager Daniel Farke, who has had a tumultuous summer so far, effectively finding himself in the eye of a storm.
A slew of senior players have left due to contractual clauses, which has been exacerbated not only by the fact that three others, Willy Gnonto, Luis Sinisterra, and Helder Costa, are temporarily excluded from the main training group and refuse to play, but also by other causes.
United‘s current injury absences are extremely substantial, and the club has struggled in the transfer market.
Farke is hopeful that things will change before the summer deadline in a fortnight, given release clauses in several of the remaining players’ contracts have already expired. For the time being, they must batten down the hatches and fight on.
The 46-year-old, who is looking for his first Championship win in charge of United against West Brom this evening, is not feeling sorry for himself.
He is making the most of a bad situation, and he will not tolerate any of his players making excuses.
The former Norwich City manager will also recall his time at Carrow Road, when the Canaries overcame slow starts to come on strong when it mattered and secured promotion in 2018-19 and 2020-21.
Of course, no two instances are alike. But it does show that Farke can deal with hardship and can be trusted to do so. His teammates must do the same.
“I haven’t just written a book that I can read and say, ‘OK, it works this way,'” he explained.
“You have to react all the time because every situation is different.” However, prior experience in similar situations can be beneficial.
“One thing is that you are open and honest, but the second thing is that you stick to your principles and rules and do not crack under pressure.”
“You stick to your values and don’t let the standard drop in training and say, ‘OK, it’s a difficult situation, I could do with maybe not being as focused in training and with a bit less work-load.'”
“I set a ridiculously high standard for our values.” At this point, you must demonstrate steel and resilience. That is, at least, how I would handle such a circumstance.
“It’s not like they get a cuddle and my arms around their shoulders every day.”
“Yes, it’s quite normal at times, but they’re professional footballers with a privileged lifestyle.” They (should) want a lot of work, and this is the direction we want to take the group.”
If United’s players, particularly their less experienced ones, can get through this difficult phase, it will be beneficial to their careers.
A win over Albion, whose head coach Carlos Corberan was considered for the Leeds post in the early summer, may be a step in the right direction.
“As a young player, you always learn from every situation,” Farke concluded.
“To be honest, I could have done with developing young players in the absence of such a contractual situation (with certain players).” However, every experience is beneficial.
“Under these conditions, they can sometimes grow.” But it’s also critical right now that we gradually get greater clarity and tranquilly inside the group.
“Because I believe that an environment in which young players can concentrate on football and develop (helps), and I am looking forward to having a bit more of a quiet time.”
That is unlikely to happen until early September, when the transfer window closes and the first international break of the 2023-24 season begins. Only then will Farke truly understand what he is up against.
Leeds have three league games left before that, and finishing in the middle of the table by the end of play on September 2 would be a good enough achievement in the circumstances.
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