‘Brutal,’ says Daniel Farke of Leeds forwards in the midst of a ‘end product’ row

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has called on his players to improve in a ‘work in progress’ claim.

Daniel Farke slammed his forwards for wasting chances after Leeds United drew 1-1 with Coventry at Elland Road on December 16.

As they progress, players like Georginio Rutter, Daniel James, and Crysencio Summerville, according to the manager, must learn to be more clinical in front of goal.

He did, however, admit that it is critical for the players not to lose confidence in front of goal, and that their age serves as a stark reminder of why they are not yet the finished article.

“The only thing that was missing was the clinical, brutal finish,” Farke told the Yorkshire  Evening Post [19 December].

“We discussed before the season that end product is something that players like Crysencio Summerville, Daniel James, and Georginio Rutter could and should improve on.” We’ve come a long way, but every now and then a game comes along that proves you’re still a work in progress.

“It’s always good to find balance, not to lose self-confidence in terms of finishing, because we’ve scored many fantastic goals, some team goals that were a bit like goal of the season.”

The difference between promotion and stagnation

Leeds’ goal this season has always been promotion, but if they are to ensure they go back up to the Premier League at the earliest possible opportunity, they will need to take their chances in front of goal when they fall their way. Sometimes you can get away with being wasteful. With Leeds as attack-minded and forward-thinking as they are, they usually create enough chances to outscore their opponents even if they miss some of the opportunities in the game, but that can’t last all the time.

Leeds must win games like this one against an out-of-form Coventry side at home. The top two are setting an almost unbeatable pace, which means they cannot afford to lose points at home.

The solution is to find that clinical edge in their game. With a number of young forwards, there are always likely to be inconsistencies, but Farke’s criticisms will hope to bring a new focus and help them to grow and develop in front of goal.