Leeds United saw their automatic promotion bid take another hit last night with a 0-0 draw against Sunderland.
The Whites have now picked up just five points from their last four matches since returning from the international break, missing the chance to go top of the league both on Saturday, and yesterday.
Coventry City handed Leeds their first defeat of 2024 at the weekend but Sunderland at home represented the perfect opportunity to bounce back.
Unfortunately, Leeds were unable to do so. They registered just one tame shot on target across the 90 minutes and although a stonewall penalty was waved away, the performance should be more of a concern.
After surprisingly naming an unchanged team, Daniel Farke left it far too late to use his bench and a combination of those factors meant Leeds were forced to settle for a point.
Bridges says Farke did something very rare after Leeds vs Sunderland last night
Farke was left visibly incensed on the touchline at many of referee Tim Robinson’s decisions last night, none more so than the decision to only add on three minutes.
The Leeds boss says he is now expecting another two apologies from PGMOL after the six they have already received this season, but at the same time, was also honest about his own team.
He conceded Leeds were far too over reliant on trying to give Crysencio Summerville the ball, with the only tactic seemingly last night to hope that he can create something.
Speaking on Sky Sports, former Leeds striker Michael Bridges praised Farke for his honesty post-match and believes it is not something managers do very often.
He said: “He could have sugarcoated it, but he didn’t. He was honest. We were smiling away there, because not many managers these days are honest, so it was nice to hear that. He knows we need to create more chances, he understand the penalty decisions which weren’t given but he didn’t go on about it.
“There were a lot of things that they are going to focus on. What I do love about Daniel Farke is that he has just mentioned he has been there in the Championship before with Norwich and he knows what it takes to get over the line.
“I said he looked frazzled on the sidelines, for the first time, with the three minutes but then he’s calm and collected once again that’s the sign of a class manager and he knows what it takes.”
Farke honesty promising, but actions speak louder than words
It is always nice to hear a manager being honest on the failings of his team but ultimately, the majority of the blame still remains at Farke’s door.
He was the one who again opted to name an unchanged side despite defeat at Coventry City, even with so many players underperforming at the moment.
Farke then left it far too late to utilise his bench with the likes of Mateo Joseph and Joel Piroe getting just a handful of minutes, which was no where near enough to make an impact.
Hopefully he learns from his mistakes ahead of Saturday’s match with Blackburn Rovers and actually makes the necessary changes as a result of the recent slump.
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