Daniel Farke understands that his Leeds United team may not be at their swashbuckling best on Friday against Sheffield Wednesday. The Whites have been in excellent form lately, with an edgy 1-0 triumph over Stoke City on Tuesday night marking their tenth win in their previous eleven Championship outings.
That run dates back to the turn of the year and has seen Leeds move within touching distance of league leaders Leicester City, though their stalemate with Huddersfield Town last weekend means they will remain outside the automatic promotion spots for the time being. Leeds have the opportunity to jump into the top two, at least momentarily, on Friday with a win over Wednesday, who are also in a purple patch.
The game at Hillsborough will be Leeds’ fourth in just ten days, and while Farke is expected to make changes to his team to give them the best chance of bolstering their promotion bid in South Yorkshire, he understands that level of activity has a cost.
“So, what should we do? “We have to adapt to it,” he remarked after the win over the Potters, when questioned about the demanding schedule they have been forced to deal with. “We aim to keep grinding out outcomes. You cannot constantly expect offensive fireworks and high-quality games. Leicester was top level, Chelsea away was top level, while Huddersfield and Stoke were challenging games. You cannot constantly be at your best.
“I’m quite pleased to be there with seven points from three league games. When the odds are stacked against you and it feels like it’s Leeds vs. the world, we need our fans even more. Even if we run out of energy, they make sure to sing and yell us across the finish line in some games. Hopefully, they will continue to support us in the same way that they do now, perhaps one gear higher.
Farke made a few changes on Tuesday night at Elland Road, with promising youngster Archie Gray and Junior Firpo dropping to the bench. Both will be in contention to return to the starting lineup for the trip to Hillsborough, while Jaidon Anthony is also anticipated to be available.
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