Leeds United players won Daniel Farke's trust 'in a few days' — Yorkshire Post 8/5/24
By Stuart Rayner
Daniel Farke says “a few days” was all it took for his Leeds
United players to persuade him he could trust them when times were tough.
And he has pointed to their record against the best teams in
the division as another reason why he is not panicked by a difficult end to the
regular season.
The Whites will have to treat the Championship play-offs –
which for them means a two-legged semi-final against Farke’s former club
Norwich City on Sunday (away) and Thursday (home) – as a reset after a
disappointing run of form.
Since March's international break, Leeds have won two of
eight matches, losing four of the last six.
But Farke says he has known for a long time he has a group
of players he can rely on.
"I just put my faith in them because I know they're
capable of it," he said. "It doesn't always work out in a perfect
way.
"(But) I was convinced of the character a few days
after we arrived and at least after the transfer window in August was closed.
"I got used to the character of every player and saw
what they could do on the pitch and I was believing in them but I knew we had
many young players in key positions and we had to work with them, first of all
on their tactical behaviour, on their football skills, but also to develop
their personalities.
"Thank God we've got two or three more experienced lads
in the dressing room and they help a lot but once you work with such a young
side you have to bring a winning mentality and work on the mental side, the
soft skills, to develop the personality.
"You never have a guarantee of how quickly you can
develop it and this is a work in progress. We're not the finished product but
the longer the season goes, the more trust I have in them.
"It's a good sign when you are in spotlight games with
big pressure and you deliver. We've won both games against Ipswich, both games
against Leicester, we were under big pressure at Middlesbrough after three
disappointing and unlucky results and were able to be there when it really
counts (with a 4-3 away win). This is normally a sign of winning mentality.
