How Daniel Farke reacted to Leeds United FA Cup draw and why Crysencio Summerville sat out — YEP 27/1/24

-

Leeds United are taking the Leeds United route in the FA Cup according to Daniel Farke, whose men must now travel to Plymouth Argyle for a replay after a 1-1 draw.

By Graham Smyth

Although Farke insisted before the game that he would rather take a replay than exit the competition, another away day at Plymouth is not what his Whites need right now with a number of injuries hampering an already small squad. They took control early on and went ahead through Jaidon Anthony’s fine individual goal in the first half, but were unable to keep Argyle under their thumb as much in the second half. Plymouth levelled with a counter attack finished off by Adam Randell 17 minutes from time to make it a proper cup tie and though Leeds created a number of good chances to win it they were thwarted by goalkeeper Conor Hazard.

Farke was not in the mood to be overly critical of his players, despite his desire to avoid a replay. “Leeds United, we never go the easy way, that's it,” he said. “Obviously we wanted to go into the next round, today we are not, so the first reaction is disappointment. To be honest I'm struggling to be annoyed performance wise. We were so dominant, had good energy with and against the ball. But we played a good side and didn't kill the game with a second goal. Even after the equaliser we had good chances to win and it's football. It was a third game in six days. We had to do without several key players, they had a whole week to prepare, played with their best possible side. A good Plymouth side, with good players playing with confidence, they can create one or two chances and they were able to score one goal. We sadly scored just one of our 10 chances. Congratulations to their effectiveness. We could have done without the replay, but I definitely prefer this draw than to lose. We still have a chance to go into the next round.”

The Leeds side boasted six changes from the midweek win over Norwich City and Farke saw that as a particular challenge for those coming in after scarce recent involvement. “No I wouldn't blame them that much, I feel a bit for them,” he said. It's not that easy, we had six changes, normally it's a bit too much to have a healthy moment for the group. Normally two or three changes, but due to the load and a few injuries, we felt we had to mix things up a bit and risk a bit. Perhaps you lose a bit of rhythm, didn't feel it too much in the first half, we were quite on it. Overall there were several good individual performances. Obviously I would wish for more effectiveness, especially from the offensive players. But it had nothing to do with not enough workload, or mentality or attitude. So no complaints from my side. It's just a bit sad for them that they were not able to use the game in a much better.”

Leeds were without the injured Pascal Struijk, Daniel James, Archie Gray and Farke opted to rest Crysencio Summerville, who reported a minor issue in training on Friday. The German said: “Cree felt a few problems with his adductor in the last session. More or less during the whole season he's had problems with his hip flexors, adductors, quad muscles when there's a big load. We decided not to take any risk in this game. To be fair I don't think he could have played if it was a league game but we hope in two or three days it will be sorted and hopefully he's available for the trip to Bristol.”

Popular posts from this blog

The huge initial fee Leeds are set to receive for Crysencio Summerville’s move to West Ham — Leeds United News 31/7/24

-
Will Butcher West Ham United are closing in on a deal to sign Crysencio Summerville from Leeds United, and Ben Jacobs has shared how much Leeds will receive for the Dutchman. The 22-year-old has been strongly linked with the Elland Road exit door all summer and was targeted as the one big sale Leeds needed to make before the Profit & Sustainability Rules deadline this month. But instead, Leeds sold Archie Gray for £40m to Tottenham. Leeds have since sold five more players in the form of Diego Llorente, Marc Roca, Kris Klaesson and Charlie Cresswell – raking in around £60m in total. But more exits were always likely and Fabrizio Romano reported on Wednesday afternoon that West Ham had agreed personal terms with Summerville, and talks for a fee were ongoing with the Yorkshire side. Now, the story has moved on with multiple sources claiming a deal is done between Leeds and Angus Kinnear’s old club. The Dutchman is expected to sign a five-year at the London Stadium, until Jun...
Read more

Leeds United board break silence after transfer window with statement on upcoming Elland Road development — YEP 2/9/24

-
By Joe Donnohue Leeds United have confirmed supporters' commemorative stones at Elland Road's Centenary Square will be replaced free of charge in a bid to improve their longevity. Beginning next month, Leeds supporters' personalised stones will be replaced with exact replicas, courtesy of a new company, to ensure of a 'much better quality' installation. The work is expected to take around two months to complete. An official club statement confirmed 'three larger stones dedicated to former managers Don Revie, Howard Wilkinson and Marcelo Bielsa' will also be installed, 'similar to those located in Bremner Square', while additional space for supporters to purchase new stones has also been factored into the project. “The club have taken on board recent feedback from supporters on the stones at Centenary Square, and we are really happy that we can now announce that all of the stones will be replaced," chief executive Angus Kinnear confirmed,...
Read more

Leeds United transfer state of play as Whites knock back low bid and assert wing pair stance — YEP 3/7/24

-
By Graham Smyth Leeds United are not actively looking to cash in on Crysencio Summerville and Willy Gnonto and believe any further outgoing transfer business will be done on their terms. The Whites, who sold Archie Gray to Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday for £40m, expect that there will be continued interest in wing pair Summerville and Gnonto as the summer transfer window progresses. Summerville has been a target for Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion but their interest has not yet materialised into a bid. The Albion did, however, send a £30m proposal for Georginio Rutter, which Elland Road chiefs rejected. Rutter is not expected to try and force an exit this summer and appears settled at Leeds after a far more positive second season in English football. The sale of Gray has helped put Leeds into a position where they do not need to sell star players and can dictate any moves that do happen. Club sources say they are not actively looking to sell the likes of Summerville o...
Read more