What Daniel Farke said immediately after Arsenal v Leeds United including injury blow
Daniel Farke was speaking after Leeds United’s defeat at Arsenal in the Premier League
Daniel Farke held his hands up with an honest Leeds United admission in his assessment of his side's 5-0 defeat at Arsenal as he also provided a star man injury update.
Leeds held firm for the first half an hour against Mikel Arteta's Gunners in Saturday evening’s second game of the new Premier League season at The Emirates but were eventually left licking their wounds from a 5-0 defeat.
Speaking post match, Farke said he was not sure if a 5-0 scoreline was a fair reflection of the game but admitted Leeds would have to take defeat to a better Arsenal side on the chin as he also provided an Ao Tanaka injury update.
Tanaka was taken off just before the hour mark.
"I think it's fair to say that Arsenal deserved to win this game today," said Farke. "They were the better side, they deserved also to win this game with a good proper goal difference.
"I'm not sure if it was actually a 5-0 because five shots on target and they scored out of all five of these shots.
“Long story short, it's more like when a team like Arsenal is on it - it's a team who in the last three years is probably the best team in the whole of Europe at least in consistency you could argue with title winners anyhow - no other team has showed this consistency as always ending up as the runner-up - then it's always difficult.
"Of course you wish for this fixture being after the Champions League perhaps but it's in their first home game of the season when everyone is really on it, on the back, for them, of a really important win away at Man United then the whole new signings are there.
"Even before kick-off new signings are presented, the whole stadium is buzzing, they are on it and it's always a difficult game for a newly-promoted side.
"I think you could feel this in the first ten minutes, they were all over us, we were a bit nervous but we survived this period without giving one chance away.
"Then we got a foot into the game, we got more and more confident, we had a good situation with counter attacks and also with Daniel James and with a few set pieces.
"I think after 35 minutes we had probably the best chances of the game with Pascal Struijk's header and a fantastic save from Raya.
"Yes, then it was a bit annoying how we conceded the goals because two goals out of set pieces, two times more or less in the same way, Timber in between my strongest headers.
"I would have wished for a bit more awareness level and obviously also two goals two times in added time.
"In the first half it was after a promising win of the ball, we are looking at the counter attack and we are underestimating their counter pressing and then they scored out of a difficult angle.
"Then for 5-0 the same, a promising win of the ball, underestimating the counter attack, they also scored in added time with a penalty. I haven't watched it back but it looked a bit soft if I'm honest.
“But For such a team like us, if everything comes together for them more or less and they are on it and effective and score out of five shots on target with five goals then it's always difficult.
"For that, it's not a season-defining game for us. We accept they were better than us and they deserved to win the game.
"We are disappointed but we won't over analyse this game too much.
"Yes, there are one or two things that we could have done better, there is no doubt about this otherwise we wouldn't have conceded two times in added time and two times at set pieces.
"But apart from this, not a season-defining game for us."
Asked about Tanaka, Farke said: "After a tackle in the first half, he had problems with his MCL.
"He kept going and I hope it's not too bad. I hope the assessment is not too bad. There are a few concerns that it would be an injury but it's normally positive that he could play further on. But we will have to assess him and we will see how long it takes to get him fit and back to full fitness."
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