'Maybe it was positive' — Daniel Farke on Leeds United's last trip to Wembley — Yorkshire Post 26/4/26

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By Stuart Rayner

It was the low point of Daniel Farke's three years as Leeds United manager, but looking back, he thinks the Championship play-off final defeat to Southampton may have been for the best.

Farke was brought to Elland Road partly because of his excellent record in taking teams out of the second tier.

For much of his debut season all was going to plan, only for them to stumble in the run-in and lose the play-off final to the Saints.

But Farke and Leeds responded the right way, going up as champions 12 months later, and now well-placed to consolidate their Premier League place ahead of the club's first FA Cup semi-final since 1987, against Chelsea on Sunday.

Farke thinks the extra time may have seen Leeds go up in better shape than would have been the case a year earlier.

"In sport you can’t just take the days when the sun is shining," he reflected. "You have to take the difficult days.

"Normally 90 points is automatic promotion, in other seasons it would be enough.

"It was heartbreaking to experience this day and what it means to the club and its finances.

"But the day after we started to work again. Okay, it motivates us and myself even more.

"After a disappointing result, if you dwell on it you can never be successful.

"We had a clear plan on what we want to do and how to achieve it.

"Perhaps it was even healthier for the club to rebuild and develop more. For finances and patience it was difficult but we could build a new hierarchy in the group and work on our DNA.

"Maybe it was positive in this way as we were more settled when we got back to the Premier League.

"For me it is important that when it is time to leave I want the club to be in a way better position, hand it over in a way better position. So far, it has worked for all of my clubs.

"I need to win the next game but I want to build something. Perhaps I am not there in five or 10 years but this is what I want to do."

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