Daniel Farke's Leeds United priority revealed at Chelsea - Graham Smyth's Verdict on FA Cup exit — YEP 29/2/24
It was Leeds United's performance at Chelsea, not their starting line-up, that proved Daniel Farke has his priorities exactly right.
By Graham Smyth
In the wake of a 3-2 defeat it would be easy to talk about
the FA Cup as a distraction or frivolity that needed to be put to one side, in
order that Farke and his men could concentrate on the real 2023/24 season
business. The way Leeds played, the fact that they led the game early on,
dominated the second half and only lost to an expensively-assembled Premier
League outfit in the 90th minute, made it even easier to almost patronise this
game and this competition. Well done Chelsea, you beat a Championship team in a
competition that is entirely secondary to their league ambitions. Well done
Leeds, brave, brave Leeds. Now back to your porridge.
The way Leeds played, though, not only belied the gulf in
quality between the two squads and the injury issues Farke had to contend with,
it suggested none of those things really matter to the German. It showed that
to him, winning is all, regardless of competition or circumstance. And that the
real priority is giving the travelling hordes from Yorkshire what they deserve,
every single time.
An away end that held 5,000-plus Leeds fans was given every
reason to outsing the home support for the vast majority of the evening,
because from the outset their players went after Chelsea and Farke went after a
win. Yes, there was no Georginio Rutter or Ilia Gruev, at all, and none of
Patrick Bamford, Willy Gnonto or Crysencio Summerville started. But Dan James
did and he was nipping at the gloves of Robert Sanchez from minute one. The
winger's pace created the first chance for the visitors and subsequently
brought the opener. He chased a Joe Rodon long ball, bumped a defender and
attempted a lob that fell wide of the Chelsea goal. The hosts took the
resulting goal-kick, got it horribly wrong and Archie Gray's challenge forced
the ball into the feet of Mateo Joseph, who drilled in his first ever senior
goal.
As starts go, it was just about perfect. There was no sense
whatsoever of Leeds' focus being elsewhere and Chelsea knew right away that
they were in a scrap. Leeds were in one too, though, because all that money has
to mean something and a slick attack down the right had the Blues level.
One-touch football, a one-touch Nicolas Jackson finish and in the blink of an
eye it was 1-1.
Chelsea got on top, as they should have. They saw lots of
possession, as Farke expected them to. But there were moments for Leeds,
flashes of Gray's burgeoning brilliance in his natural midfield role, reminders
of Ethan Ampadu's long-range passing.
A second Chelsea goal, from a second quick, incisive foray
on the right, came from the boot of Mykhailo Mudryk and might well have done
for most teams outside of the top flight. It could have been a sliding doors
moment and the opening of floodgates. But a chance for James, at the back post,
at the end of the half, hinted that Leeds were far from done.
The early minutes of the second half did little to dissuade
the notion that there might yet be joy for the second tier men against the top
table dwellers, and Farke's youngest two players were at the heart of it.
Gray's little bit of skill started a move. Joseph's tidy turn fooled Enzo
Fernández into a yellow card. Gray's tenacious recovery of the ball and his
dink over an outstretched foot teed up Junior Firpo for a cross in a dangerous
position. Before you knew it, Leeds were the side on top. Before Chelsea could
respond, Leeds were level.
Once again, the kids were key. Gray danced out of
challenges, plural, right on the edge of his area and set Leeds off on another
attack. Jaidon Anthony curled in the most perfect cross and Joseph arrived,
with the timing and the headed finish of a wily poacher beyond his years. The
very last thing Leeds' promotion rivals wanted to see was another young player
announcing himself emphatically on the senior stage and yet here was Joseph, on
a hat-trick, at Stamford Bridge.
He turned provider, next, slotting a fine ball down the
right channel for Joel Piroe, whose shot was blocked. The sheer scale of Leeds'
dominance in possession made another chance feel likely and it was Joseph on
the end of it, but when the cross came in this time, from James, he got the
header wrong.
The arrival of Gnonto and Summerville almost took the game
away from Chelsea. The Italian fed the Dutchman and he glided to the edge of
the box, where he should have just shot, yet instead he attempted to return the
ball to Gnonto. That maybe was the sliding doors moment, because in the 90th
minute Chelsea won it through Conor Gallagher. Any feelings of injustice were
only heightened when Liam Cooper came agonisingly close to getting on the end
of a stoppage time corner, but the full-time whistle brought joy, not
bitterness.
What Leeds delivered to the 5,000 who sang and danced and
celebrated at full-time, was something to be proud of. That's Farke's priority
this season. "I encouraged them to be brave, stick to our principles, you
can't defend this individual quality for 90 minutes, you have to have as many
periods as possible when you dominate," he said after. "This is our
DNA, we want to have the ball. I think the way is also quite important, not
just the target. It's not always a fair outcome. The way we played, over the whole
90 minutes, made us all proud. Our supporters have a good sense for this and
that's why they celebrated the team at the end. They can be really proud of
themselves tonight, it won't kill our momentum."
The celebration police will be out on their rounds, no
doubt, but Leeds United fans are enjoying their football again thanks to a team
who play good stuff and try to dominate and win every game. This is what
football should be. Going up against the so-called big boys and throwing
punches in bunches, instead of from behind a defensive shell, is to be admired.
Playing how you play, because that’s what you believe in, no matter where, when
or against whom can breed success. It did for Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds. And
because Farke wants to win everything, all the time, because he has his
priorities right, Leeds need not save themselves for the league or concern
themselves unduly with a cup defeat. Come Saturday there will be a new game to
win and regardless of who makes it back from injury, they will go after it. As
Leeds United always should.