Daniel Farke faced the press on Wednesday for what might be one of the last times as manager of Leeds United as a Championship side.
Daniel Farke is on course to secure a third career promotion from the Championship, this time with Leeds United in what is his second attempt at doing so.
Last season, Leeds United lost the Championship play-off final but now find themselves in 1st place of the table and with a five point cushion inside the top two, albeit level on points with Burnley in 2nd.
Next up for Leeds United is a trip to the Kassam Stadium to face Oxford United. U’s boss Gary Rowett is hoping to cause an upset on Friday and beat Leeds in a similar fashion to how his Oxford side beat Sheffield United just a few weeks ago.
Daniel Farke says the fire ‘has to burn’ ahead of Oxford United vs Leeds United
Farke has remained calm throughout the last few weeks which have been particularly rocky for Leeds United, who at one point dropped all the way down to 3rd place of the table until a 1-0 win at Middlesbrough lifted them back into 1st. That’s compared to Blades boss Chris Wilder who lost his head after the Plymouth Argyle defeat last time out.
Speaking to the press, though, Farke insisted that staying calm isn’t enough. The fire also has to burn said the Leeds United boss: “Just being calm is not enough. The fire has to burn. It’s important that the fire in the players is still burning. We always aim for more. We always speak about the things we can improve.
“When you work for such an emotional club that you take the decisions without emotion. In an objective and neutral way. Never too high and never too low is normally a good mantra. A good mix is important. To say calm and composed is quite important.”
What happened the last time Leeds United played Oxford United?
Leeds last played Oxford back in December. And it prove to be a fruitful outing at Elland Road with Leeds United thumping Oxford United 4-0 on the day, with goals coming from Dan James, Manor Solomon, Jayden Bogle, and Brenden Aaronson.
Solomon and Bogle were both on target as Leeds United beat Preston 2-1 in their last outing and both will be busy again on Friday with Dan James sidelined once again; leaving Bogle with more license to roam forward and Solomon with more responsibility in attack.
Rowett watched that game at Elland Road from the stands. He’d just been appointed as manager and he’s since dragged the U’s to six points above the drop zone with three 1-0 wins in their last five games.
Kick off on Friday is at 8pm.
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox
