Every word Daniel Farke said on Gabriel Gudmundsson hamstring injury plus Noah Okafor & Jaka Bijol fitness concerns
Daniel Farke will speak to the media this afternoon ahead of Leeds United's Premier League meeting with Burnley on Friday.
Leeds United return to Premier League action on Friday and ahead of Burnley’s visit to Elland Road, Daniel Farke will hold his pre-game press conference today.
The Whites suffered FA Cup semi-final disappointment at the hands of Chelsea last time out, losing 1-0 at Wembley on Sunday. A first-half Enzo Fernandez header decided it, with Leeds becoming the first ever club team to lose four consecutive trips to the home of football without scoring.
But there is little time to dwell on defeat, with Leeds not entirely out of the Premier League relegation battle. They hit 40 points with a dramatic 2-2 draw at Bournemouth last week but the feeling is they might need one more win to avoid any final-day nerves at rivals West Ham.
Speaking ahead of Friday’s meeting with already-relegated Burnley, Farke will first be expected to provide an update on Gabriel Gudmundsson. The left-back looked to have suffered a hamstring injury in the final stages of Sunday’s FA Cup defeat, remaining on the pitch but not moving freely by any means.
Farke said after full-time on Sunday his medical staff would need to assess Gudmundsson and those tests should now be complete, with more clarity to be provided this afternoon. Leeds did get an injury boost at Wembley, however, with Anton Stach coming off the bench at half-time having been out for three weeks with an ankle ligament injury.
Stach was expected to be out until May and Farke admitted on Sunday the 45 minutes his midfielder played was the absolute limit he could manage in the special circumstances. With four full days to rest and recover, the German international should be fit to feature on Friday but an update will be provided on him and any other potential issues this afternoon.
Daniel Farke is due to speak with the media at 2.15pm this afternoon. Stay tuned and be sure to refresh the page for live updates...
Welcome!
Good afternoon and welcome to our live coverage of Daniel Farke’s pre-Burnley press conference. The Leeds United boss will be with us at around 2.15pm, so stay tuned.
On the agenda...
Plenty to discuss this afternoon. Here are a few key topics we can expect to hear about:
• Gabriel Gudmundsson hamstring injury update
• Anton Stach fitness after 45 minutes at Wembley
• How many more points needed for safety
• Farke’s record vs Parker and Burnley mood after relegation
Gudmundsson update
The major talking point from this afternoon will surely be Gudmundsson. The left-back finished Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final but could barely run.
Farke suggested a possible hamstring injury and the Leeds medical staff will have undertaken tests over the past few days. A big update either way.
10 minute warning
Farke will be with us shortly.
Farke has arrived
Let’s see what he’s got to tell us.
Farke on Wembley defeat
Since Monday it’s not a topic anymore. If you want a historical cup run you can only do it if you're fully committed. We were highly motivated to win every round, and wanted to be as successful as possible. If you then lose and are out, you’re disappointed. Was a tight game, we didn’t have our best day so of course we were disappointed but doesn’t take away that we made our supporters proud. Main business is the Premier League and we know if we win the next points we have a good chance to stay in the league.
Gudmundsson latest
Hamstring injury, it’s a bit of a serious injury. He’ll definitely miss Friday and probably the Tottenham game, then we’ll have to see. We try to bring him back as quick as possible, I hope he can feature in one of the final two games.
Other team news
Also one or two question marks. Noah Okafor got a hit on his calf, there’s a question mark on his availability. Jaka Bijol is dealing with some hip flexor problems. I hope to have them both available.
Farke on complacency
No complacency, we have to make sure everyone is fit and available. Then we concentrate like every other game, very respectful. Burnley are rarely turned over, always competitive, many tight games. I’ve got so much respect for what Scott is doing. I’ve never seen a Burnley team give up, showed good performances and came close to pretty impressive results. Sometimes once relegation is confirmed it gives you more freedom because there is less pressure. Very difficult to say this game will be easier because they are relegated, I expect it to be more complicated.
Farke on desire to guarantee safety
Shown in last games the desire. We want to keep going but very respectful. Focused and concentrated, 12 more points to fight for. We are highly motivated to win one or three points. One more win will ease the pressure, more relaxed when you don’t have to travel on the last day needing points. The earlier we win points, the better it will be.
Farke on summer planning
Always better to plan earlier, but during this season one or two weeks extra doesn’t make much difference because of the World Cup. Most business will be relatively late. Would be nice for the nerves but for transfer success, one or two weeks makes no difference. The most important thing is we stay in this league.
What safety would mean
Will speak in detail once it’s confirmed. We haven’t achieved yet but our big goal was to be competitive.
Farke on rival results
We don’t hide it, my players are mature, they are allowed to look at other results. Then you just get nervous. You have to deal with it relaxed but we’re experienced enough that it makes no difference. You can only influence what you do. Only important how many points we win. We can influence our fate, we’re not relying on other results.
Stach latest
We have two more days, beneficial for him to have 45 minutes in the tank. A good and solid performance which is important for confidence. Always a bit tricky after such an injury, not ideal for such players to be out but it’s good to have both back.
Farke on Premier League lacking entertainment
The Premier League is the best league in the world. Teams like Bayern Munich and PSG are world class, it’s normal they can win the Champions League but Premier League teams are also competitive. Both played a good game but it;s judged by the result. We can enjoy as neutrals but was interested in how national newspapers would judge it - and it’s judged by the result. In Germany, papers were quite critical. Defensive behaviour could have been better at times. One of the best games I've seen in the last decade but depends on perspective.
Joseph injury latest
Will only speak about it once everything is confirmed. My full focus is on players here, not willing to speak about loan players or potential signings. Will speak about it once we’ve achieved what we want to achieve. Fingers crossed and best of luck to Mateo, when there’s such a serious injury our thoughts and hopes are always there. Important he has a proper rehab.
Farke on Calvert-Lewin open-play drought
Don’t hide behind the fact. There were some games where it was difficult for him, like Palace playing in underload because we couldn’t create. Played a major role at Man Utd. I'm pretty happy with his performances but there were some games where he missed chances. Always room for improvement. Everyone was critical early on then over the moon when he had a scoring run. The solution is not to just think about scoring, concentrate on working for the team, make the basic stuff for the team and they will come.
Farke on Aaronson chance
Honest and open. It's important to watch things back. My initial thought was he could go a bit further on but when I watched it back, I thought it was an extraordinary save. Pleased Brenden had this chance but you have to give credit to the goalkeeper. We’ve missed bigger chances than this in recent weeks. We don’t have to dwell on it. Important for me that Brenden’s form has improved the last weeks. Hopefully he can finish in the upcoming games.
Farke on lessons from defensive Sunderland and Brentford
Not too many lessons, more or less the challenge you have in a home game when you want to be dominant. Usually found a way to win these games in the last three years. Sometimes you lose the game and even the opposition can’t explain how they won. Sometimes you dominate everything, they’re penalty was the only shot on target, you miss some sitters and it’s difficult to explain. Fully aware we have to be creative but make sure we don’t allow counter-attacks. We have to be brutal and clinical in front of goal. Football sometimes doesn’t go to plan but we’re confident if we play our processes we will create chances. Game starts at 0-0 and we have a point, a point is also valuable so important we don’t lose it. We’re in such a good position, even a point could be decisive so need to be organised against the ball but attack aggressively. Hopefully we can find a balance.
Farke on width issues with Justin on left
Always a bit tricky when you don’t have a left-footed option, but JJ or whoever can cut inside, assist, and inswinger crosses. You adapt with the player ahead of him who maybe covers the wide option. But we have left footers available so I don’t want to speak too much about what we might do.