Every word Daniel Farke said on Leeds United injuries, Millwall, Rutter, Gray, Poveda, selection headaches - Leeds Live 15/9/23

The Leeds United head coach was speaking ahead of the Whites' trip to Millwall on Sunday

Daniel, the two-week break, how’s it been and have you had chance for a mini reset?

Was good, much needed if I’m honest, also beneficial. So, the eight weeks before were packed with work and lots of stuff ongoing. It was important to recover for a few days and it was definitely necessary. It was also good to have time on the training pitch.

First of all, obviously it was a bit smaller group because many players were also involved in the national team games but it was good to have a smaller group to be able to work individually a little bit, also on some details and fitness and the shape of some players. Then obviously since Wednesday, we are back all together as a whole group.

It’s obviously not too much time but then also still knowing this is the group that will face in the next upcoming month and also with this group we want to achieve our targets and that right now we have clarity and the uncertainty is away and we can also concentrate on good training sessions and try to go with this group into the games, so it feels good. The recharged energy is back and then yeah, it’s going to be a pretty busy period.

Can you give us an injury update?

Yes, all in all much improved. We have on long-term list Stuart Dallas but he's also improving. Patrick Bamford is still out, he will also miss the three games within six days but we're quite hopeful that he will also return back to the team training quite soon hopefully by the end of next week or perhaps or the week after. So it's also much improved. Junior Firpo is out, he trained with us last week but that's quite normal after being out for such a long time sometimes there is a reaction with the body and he has some problems with this hip. In last days was just possible individual training for him so you will definitely miss the game at Millwall and that's more or less it.

There is a question mark behind Djed Spence. First of all, he missed some sessions and some days due to private reasons and then yesterday in training he got a knock against his knee, his lateral ligament. We need to wait for some further assessment. Today it was not possible to train so I would label it definitely a major doubt, also for the weekend. And all the other players that you've mentioned will return back so Liam Cooper is back in team training since yesterday. Also Sam Byram back in team training the whole week, Daniel James back in team training the whole week. Also our latest signings with Ilia Gruev and Glen Kamara right now since Wednesday back in team training after their duties on international level. So all in all, quite a big group and some good training sessions in last days and definitely good news.

Millwall is going to be a tough test and it is a highly charged fixture with rivalry, how important is it that players focus on the fixture and not the occasion?

Yes, it's always the same. So each and every game on Championship level is important because because it's always about three points. It's always a chance to improve your situation to gain more confidence, to gain momentum. Yes, I'm full of respect of the work of Gary Rowett, unbelievably experienced coach on this level.

I'm really respectful because his side plays always with lots of spirit and lots of aggressiveness and lots of team spirit and they go for it. They're always well structured, pretty pretty good defending, so that some momentum in the last games, four points in the last two games, we are really respectful. But we also know when we are there at our best, it's tough place to go, but when we are there at our best we have a chance to win points wherever we go and this is also our topic, we want to concentrate on our performance, pretty respectful and also aware of the strengths of Millwall but we want to be there with the best possible performance. If we are capable to bring it on the pitch then we have also good chance to win points.

How do you see the midfield developing now and who do you see in the 10 position?

Well first of all, I think it was much needed that we add some depth to the squad in midfield position and also some quality. I spoke before about it, we can't rely on Ampadu being available each of these seconds within 46 games and two cup competitions. The same with a 17-year-old, Archie Gray. I think they were fantastic so far, I have nothing to criticise because there were two of our best performers so far during the season. But it's pretty important for us to have the likes of Gruev and Kamara together with us. For that, it's also possible to have competition and that we are capable to react also during games and sometimes to the load.

Up front, in the more creative positions, we have several options. Perhaps we don't have a natural number 10 but let's be honest, when you judge the best teams in this country when I speak about Manchester City or Liverpool or others, they quite often don't play with a proper number 10. We have players who are capable to be quite creative in these roles. For example Ian Poveda can do this, Cree Summerville can do this.

We had Joel Piroe in a slightly deeper position like a natural number 10 but also to add some goals also out of midfield position so definitely also a position that he can fill, also Joe Gelhardt can play there. So we have players who can fill the number 10 role, perhaps not like proper number 10, but also nowadays you play quite often with different types of players and I'm quite confident that we have enough quality and also enough creativity within our squad in order to find passes and more end products because it's definitely something we want to improve.

We have created unbelievable amount of chances in the last game but lacked a bit of end product. It was not always a finishing pass but also sometimes the finishing in front of the goal, there has been so many one-against-one situations on the goalkeeper, even a proper number 10 would have helped in the situation. So it's more like ‘come on, let's be brutal and clinical in finishing’. So for that I'm happy with my squad.

How have you built up the confidence of Georginio Rutter, in the last few weeks?

There's always just one solution: hard work. It's not so much about psychological games or something, is more like come on work hard to bring yourself into a really good fitness level and concentrate on the performances because it never works if you're just playing with ‘I have to score, I have to score’, and you set yourself under pressure. It’s more like, ‘no concentrate on being really good teammate, to link the play well, to work good against the ball and then sometimes goals come automatically.

I was a striker, I had these spells, so sometimes you just have to watch a ball and the ball goes in and you can't explain why and sometimes you find it difficult to use your chances. So during these periods it's always important not to feel sorry for yourself or to complain, it’s more lile concentrate on working hard for the team and then the goals will come automatically, not just for Georgi but also like Joel Piroe, for example, for Patrick Bamford when he’s back, with also other players like Joe Gelhardt, for example, who can play also up front, this is a major topic.

All in all I have to say yes, we have missed many chances on the last home game against Sheffield but, the game before the offensive lads were brilliant so Ipswich were not able to handle our quality and all our offensive players. So the momentum can change quite quick and so one game that we found with speaking about we were there was lots of confidence and all our offensive players have scored and in the last game we missed too many chances and then we are speaking about confidence level again. So don't worry too much about it, just concentrate on hard work and then I think we have enough quality that the goals will come.

Is this the first time that you actually have a selection headache?

Yes, that's not the first time in total, but to be honest, I prefer the situation much more instead of having situations where I have a headache of how to fill the bench and the situation with three goalkeepers with us and we're still not able to fill the bench. I prefer the situation much more so sometimes, of course it's the most difficult part of your job to disappoint players when they're not allowed to play in the starting line-up and let's be honest each and every player wants to play each and every second, but you also have to keep in mind we have three games within six days right now.

It’s a bit strange I would say from the set-up. Our next opponent on Wednesday, Hull, plays today, Friday home game, then next home game on Wednesday, we have away game Sunday, away game Wednesday. But again, I spoke about not feeling sorry for ourselves and for that I don't complain about this. It doesn't affect the Millwall game. I just concentrate at the moment on Millwall. And yes, we want to be successful and we have good players and I'm comfortable with this group.

There was also not too much time with the whole group together after this international break, but I'm sure right now, the longer we will stay together and the more time we have also on the training pitch and we work together, it's just about finding the right set-up, the right balance. I'm confident that this group will also win many, many points.

Do you address the atmosphere and what it will be like with the younger players?

Yes, we've spoken already about this. The Den is an unbelievably tough place to go play, I have been several times. Yes, it could be also impressive, especially for young players or players who are not used to playing on a Championship level and especially in such a tough, tough place. We've spoken about this but one thing is you can speak about this and prepare them in a theoretical way but then to bring it on the pitch when it really counts is a different question.

This will definitely be one of our tasks so like to play with fire in the heart but also cool in the head and to accept that there are periods when you have to suffer and you have to dig in and you have to fight for second balls and to defend awake and aware because we spoke about the physicality and also the insanity of the place that is Millwall. We are particularly respectful but again so each and every game on this level is complicated, not easy for that. We don't travel in fear, we travel with confidence and we want to win points.

How do you deal with the situation where players have off-field issues, like Ian Poveda. Does that impact their availability?

No, in general so I respect all my players as human beings and also mature. They have a private life and I always prefer when in their private life everything is okay, but like all human beings it’s also professional, it's also to be up to work and we all have sometimes our times when it's also a bit tough for us due to private reasons or whatever and we still have to keep going in our in our job. So again, it's also like I ask them to be professional, to concentrate on the hard work and this is also what we do. Sometimes, in general when there's even a bit more challenging or difficult times on the private note, it always helps to concentrate on your work, especially it helps to concentrate on football to get out there with your teammates and do what you love, because we all love to play and to work in football and for that it won't affect us too much. If I sense this anyhow on the training pitch or something like this, yes, I would react, but I have not sensed anything at all and all the players are available.

Archie Gray stayed at home rather than go away with England, how much are you having to manage him?

First of all, he is blessed with unbelievable physicality, I have to say, so unbelievable endurance and otherwise it wouldn't be possible for a 17-year-old guy on this level to play so many minutes. He has outstanding data.

We watch him quite carefully also to check that he's not there was too much overload but so far he's done really, really well. He had a minor injury and for that we all decided it's best for him to recover a little bit. Also because he's playing so many games on senior level and also like on the top level, I think for his development it wouldn't be too beneficial if he plays too many games. But the biggest problem was more like the minor injury and it was good that we gave him a few days off to let it settle, but then also during this week he was capable to be there back in team training.

Just have to make sure that also like from the soft skills also like from the mental side, from the pressure, it's not too much load on the shoulders of the 17-year-old. This was also one of the reasons we wanted to bring in some options but also some experienced players like Kamara, like Gruev, who can help him handle it because he is still on the learning path. It's also important to have players on the side who can also help him to handle the burden. But I have to say I'm quite pleased with him. I also get the feeling that with such a good family background and also such as so settled as a personality for such a young guy, that he is capable to handle the pressure. At the moment he's on a really good path but we all take care of him, that's quite important.

How exceptional do you think his ability is?

The whole world seems to praise him a lot and there's a lot of hype around Archie so I think it's beneficial when his manager is a bit more calm and doesn't praise him too much and speaks also about the errors in his game, where he can improve and has to improve and what he has to learn. I think it's beneficial because it would be easy for me also to sing his praises, but if everyone praises him I think I protect that he’s still down to earth.

I don't want to speak too much about his abilities more like also the areas in this game where he can improve but if his development goes on exactly like this, then I think yeah, not just Leeds United, but the whole country can be happy that we have such talented young player.