'The opposite' - Ethan Ampadu outlines Leeds United plan for Stoke City and Derby County away double header
Leeds face rapid back-to-back away games for their Christmas fixtures.
Whites captain Ethan Ampadu has issued a determined message in outlining Leeds United’s plan for their Festive away days at Stoke City and Derby County - fuelled by the disappointment of last year.
Just like in 2023, Leeds are heading for two Christmas away games on the back of a 4-0 victory at Elland Road - Daniel Farke’s Whites having blitzed Oxford United on Saturday - one year on from doing the same to Ipswich Town.
This time last year, Daniel Farke’s Whites were then preparing for back-to-back away clashes at Preston North End and West Brom - games which ultimately failed to yield a single point.
The Christmas misery began at Deepdale when Illan Meslier was sent off as part of a 2-1 defeat at Preston. Three days later, Farke’s Whites fell to a 1-0 reverse at The Hawthorns as they suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time in his tenure.
Twelve months on, second-placed Leeds are again heading for back-to-back away games at a time when the spotlight is firmly on United’s record away from Elland Road.
Saturday’s victory against Oxford marked a superb ninth home win in succession but only one of United’s last seven away games has produced a victory via the 4-3 triumph at Swansea City.
Ampadu admits his team are not happy with their away form but that Leeds are determined to rectify it with an altogether different outcome from last year’s Festive away games.
"I think if you are going to compare it to last year, we are going to aim for the complete opposite of last year,” said Ampadu to the YEP, sizing up Stoke and Derby.
“We are going to want to put on better performances and come away with better results.
"I know there's a lot of people talking about stuff away from home but we understand that away and home games can be different. But we want to try and make it the same, still the same game, still play our game.
“Obviously other teams can try and influence that in their different ways but it's something that we are not happy with as a squad and we set ourselves at the highest standards. Whenever we come below that, even just a little bit, we always try and regain to get back."
Pressed on whether Leeds needed to do anything different in their gameplan away from home - or whether it was just a case of taking their chances - Ampadu reasoned: “We create chances every game, we have got a lot of quality.
“I'm not saying it's the rub of the green because there are still things that we need to learn on.
“But we are doing that within ourselves and even home games that we have won, there are still things that can improve in those games.
“Just as a collective, whether it's a win or a draw or a loss, we take it how it is and look to improve every single one of them.”