'Totally the wrong call' - Farke refutes Leeds United press room suggestion and 69-year-old example
Daniel Farke is not contemplating even allowing the concept of complacency be spoken of at Leeds United
Daniel Farke has railed against suggestions that guarding against complacency is even a factor for his promotion-chasing Leeds United side.
The Whites boss was fielding questions about his side's performance, recent form and the title race when a journalist pondered if it would now take a 'Devon Loch' collapse to derail things and what he could do to stave off complacency. Farke likely had never come across that particular expression, having been born in Germany 20 years after the racehorse fell on the final straight while leading the Grand National, but he almost bristled at the idea that complacency could even creep in at a club that learned a harsh lesson last season.
Championship leaders Leeds are in fine form and well placed to secure Premier League status. They're currently on a 17-game unbeaten run. But they went unbeaten in the league from the start of January to the end March in the 2023/24 campaign and still finished third in the table before losing a Wembley play-off final against Southampton.
Even if last season's sobering realisation that 90 points was not sufficient for a top-two finish doesn't do it, then the current table should provide sufficient motivation for Leeds to stay hungry. Third-placed Burnley's midweek win over Cardiff City has narrowed the gap to Leeds to five points and by the time the leaders kick off at Portsmouth on Sunday that could stand at two points. Sheffield United, currently second, could draw level with the Whites on 76 points if they beat Preston North End at home.
Complacency not an issue for Leeds United
"No, complacency is totally the wrong call," Farke replied. "We've played against top sides right now. We've played a while ago away at Burnley, they never concede goals at the moment, we've played Sunderland, Sheffield United, we experienced how difficult it was to win these games. We know that it's important to keep going. We have the experience also from the last season, we won 90 points and each and every other season it would have been enough to finish in the top two. And we know we can read the table right now. We're on 76 points if I'm not completely wrong, we know that with 76 points we won't make it into the top two."
Farke says that the difficulty presented by each opponent in the English second tier means Leeds have nothing to feel complacent about. "Each and every game is complicated, so there's no reason for complacency," he said. "So it's more or less like, you have to be on it, we have experience in these terms, also from last season. We have experienced players. We have experience from this season. Everyone knows how complicated it is, so it's not a factor."
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