'Laid into us' - Inside Daniel Farke's fiery half-time Leeds United teamtalk that sparked Sunderland comeback
The Leeds United manager was not the happiest during the half-time break of Sunday’s 1-1 draw.
Brenden Aaronson and his Leeds United teammates were subject to some half-time hairdryer treatment from manager Daniel Farke during Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Sunderland.
Leeds went into the break 1-0 down at the Stadium of Light, having conceded the only goal of an even opening 45 minutes thanks to Simon Adingra’s finish. The winger was played onside by an injured Joe Rodon - who was eventually forced off - and found by Granit Xhaka before curling an effort into the far corner.
But the Whites held their nerve and came flying out the blocks after half-time, needing just two minutes to craft a brilliant equaliser that Dominic Calvert-Lewin put away. Every Leeds player touched the ball as it moved from front to back and left to right, with the brilliant Aaronson working space out wide and crossing to his in-form teammate.
Leeds built on that equaliser and piled pressure onto their hosts for a good 20 minutes, albeit without ever finding enough space to score a second. But it was a brilliant second-half performance from the away side nonetheless, and Farke had a strong hand in the matter.
“The coach is someone that's very relaxed from the outside, and he is as a coach, but when he lays into us, you know, something's up,” Aaronson revealed. “And that's the kind of reaction that we needed.
“We needed him to kind of lay into us a little bit, because I think it was a bit of a lackadaisical start. I mean, it's tough, because the game's stopping and going, they're getting throw-ins or getting set pieces. It's not easy.
“But I think that the way that he came in and kind of laid into us a little bit got us fired up and ready to go, and it put us on the front foot. And that's what you need sometimes, and I’d probably say credit to him.”
Brenden Aaronson on role in Leeds United leveller
Aaronson is enjoying a great period of form and played a vital role in the all-important leveller, running towards the Sunderland defender before placing a cross at Calvert-Lewin’s feet. The American has space to work his magic after Leeds broke the opposition press with some silky football.
“To be honest I didn't even see the first part of it because I was kind of spinning to go out wide,” Aaronson said of the goal. “The coach always talks about wanting one guy inside and one guy outside, and I saw Jayden was a bit inside.
“I don't really like going outside if I'm being honest, because I'm not like a winger, winger. But yeah, I went outside and I've been working on trying to be as direct as I can and find a little bit of space. I just put the ball into Dom because I know he's going to be there.”