Leeds United example to follow as Farke struggles with the inexplicable — Graham Smyth's Verdict — YEP 15/12/24

By Graham Smyth

Leeds United inexplicably made life difficult for themselves again on the road, before rescuing a draw at Preston North End.

Daniel Farke talked a lot about difficulty after Leeds United's 1-1 draw at Preston North End.

It's difficult when you go behind against a team like Preston. It's difficult playing three games in seven days. Early kick-offs can be difficult. It can be difficult to start well away from home. Having so many young players in a team can add difficulties. The Championship season is long and has many difficult games. It's difficult to keep your cool when the referee fails to spot a nailed-on second yellow.

But Leeds possess the power to make football and life so easy, because that's what they do at Elland Road, so it's difficult to understand why they're playing the game on hard mode away from home.

This game was a dramatic one and though the details were unique, the story was one that is by now well told. A sluggish start to an early kick-off on the road, conceding first, missed chances, an opposition player escaping a certain red card. Unlike the recent trip to Blackburn, however, this game ended with at least a point. Farke was asked why slow starts are even a thing for this team.

"You could argue it's always when it's a busy tough schedule and it's an explanation not an excuse," said Farke. "Early kick-off, lots of travel, three games in seven days. It has a bit to do with many young players in decisive roles. When Elland Road is rocking, buzzing from the start perhaps they're in more excitement with counter pressing, good decisions. We need to make it happen in away games when the pitch is not perfect and not each and every decision goes your way. I think it's important we learn out of this, we're not good enough to cruise easily. We need to be there. We've spoken about it so often. I think we're improving. Our reaction after being behind I think was much better than at Blackburn."

It was not immediately obvious that anything at all had been learned from the game at Ewood Park. Leeds did not get to grips with Preston from the off and neither Ao Tanaka nor Joe Rothwell could halt the hosts' first counter attack after three minutes, before it faltered in the final third.

The game was almost a quarter of an hour in before Leeds looked remotely dangerous themselves. Farke spoke after Blackburn of the need to win the early physical battles and Jayden Bogle put in a huge challenge to win the ball, then skipped away from a man and slid a pass down the right to put Daniel James in. His low cross was cut out for a corner that came to nothing.

That was the only moment of attacking promise from Leeds before they conceded. Preston, who had fashioned a good but squandered headed chance for Liam Lindsay, broke out with one pass down the pitch to Milutin Osmajic and he spun Pascal Struijk, ran down the channel and crossed for Brad Potts to finish at the far post.

The first goal is so often crucial in any game but for Leeds United right now it feels monumental. When it goes the way of the Whites, good things follow. When it doesn't, life is made that much more difficult. And this goal was avoidable. From Rothwell's giving up of possession as he ran into a blind alley in the final third to Struijk being done so easily by Osmajic, from Bogle's failure to match Potts' run to Illan Meslier's failure to keep out the shot. A difficult game made unnecessarily harder by Leeds.

Responding quickly to take the wind out of Preston's sails would have made things much easier but when Brenden Aaronson received the ball in a glorious position in the area he got the shot all wrong. He should have scored. Leeds should have created more chances just like that one from their possession and territory. Referee John Busby should have sent off Ben Whiteman for a reckless lunge on Bogle that was at least worthy of his second yellow card. But as the teams trooped off at the break that atrocious decision paled in significance to the fact that Leeds should have been so much better at both ends of the pitch.

The second half, like at Ewood Park, saw more urgency from Leeds but this time they knocked on the door a lot more persistently. Joel Piroe had a shot saved, Tanaka had a shot blocked, Rothwell fired over, James had a shot blocked and against the run of play Preston had a chance to seal the win, but Emil Riis headed straight at Meslier. Farke had seen enough to make earlier changes than normal. On came Largie Ramazani and Patrick Bamford. Neither scored but both at least made themselves a factor and either could have grabbed a leveller.

Bamford missed from a yard or so with an attempted flick when it appeared easier to score than do anything else, in a moment that should have made his and Leeds' life easier. Ramazani was much further out when he had a go and at least forced Freddie Woodman into a good stop.

In between those two moments James came even closer still, cracking the crossbar from distance. While others were lacking in composure or making the wrong decisions, he was plugging away on the right to create danger by keeping it simple. What James is doing well at present is refusing to over-play or over-elaborate in possession. He either cuts inside to deliver whatever is most appropriate in the position he finds himself in, or heads for the byline to cross. His pace and the ability to mix things up is variety enough.

Manor Solomon, who came on as a late substitute, caused problems on the other flank with skill and a sharp change of direction that gave Preston something else to worry about. It was the Israeli who started the move for the equaliser on the left, dribbling the ball infield and holding off challenges to find James. The Welshman teased the idea of cutting in and then made for the byline before drilling in a low ball that Jack Whatmough unwittingly turned past his own keeper. It was football made easy and it gave Leeds a point.

It was also an example for others in Farke's side because when James' execution is that good then it validates his decision making and builds a picture of a player full of confidence and form. It's a small thing to note but when he stepped off the bus at Deepdale he did not have his face set like flint and he was not so 'in the zone' that he ignored the assembled away fans. Instead he gave them a cheerful grin and a wave. He looked relaxed. And why not? When you're quicker than almost every single opponent and you know you can score or make goals, what should it matter where the game is played?

When you're Leeds United and you have that much more quality than almost every single opponent and you know that at Elland Road you can totally dominate and win games, what should it matter that you're playing elsewhere? With a travelling support as large as the one at Ewood and Deepdale, it surely sounds sufficiently like a home game. So act accordingly from minute one.

Farke is taking flak, again, for another away performance that failed to convince but had they not defended so sloppily for the Preston goal and had Aaronson or Bamford stuck away those gilt-edged opportunities then the manager's attempt to explain the game would have been made so much easier and Leeds would not have made such heavy weather of another away day. For a team who defend so stingily to give up such a goal and for a team who score so freely at home to be so wasteful away would be difficult for any manager to explain.

A point, against a side who have drawn against the likes of Middlesbrough, Burnley, Sunderland and West Brom, is far from a disaster. A seven-point return from three games is a solid week. It's not perfect, but no team will deliver that all season. What grates is that all there was standing between this team and a perfect week was this team. Sometimes, especially when they're away, they need to get out of their own way.