Daniel Farke refused to criticise any of his players after defeat to Fulham
Leeds United boss Daniel Farke had no harsh words for players at either end of the pitch after a 1-0 defeat at Fulham.
The Whites shaded the first half in terms of chances created and largely restricted Fulham to long-range strikes in the second half as Karl Darlow produced some fine stops. A tight game was swung in the home side's favour by the introduction of winger Kevin and they took all three points courtesy of a bizarre Gabriel Gudmundsson own goal in the 94th minute. A corner from the right caught the defender by surprise and he headed into his own net in a 'one in 10,000' occurrence according to Farke.
Farke on Gudmundsson after own goal
"He doesn't need any words," said Farke of his right-back, who apologised to the away end at full-time. "He needs an arm round his shoulder and no words. It's difficult to explain. He was concentrated on blocking the player, lost control of his body and was surprised by the ball. He was excellent today, there with an excellent performance. He was so crucial for our game, a top performance. That he's there with the spotlight is unlucky for him. He was the most disappointed guy in the dressing room. He doesn't need any criticism."
No criticism for Leeds United players from Farke
And Farke had no criticism for his attackers, despite another performance that lacked a goal. Leeds are yet to score from open play this season, their only goal in four games coming from the penalty spot. The German has said Leeds will need to make the best of what they've got after failing to add a difference maker in the final days of the transfer window and says miracles cannot be expected from the current forward line so defence will be key for survival.
"No criticism or disrespect of my players," he said. "[But ] the players we have - Gnonto, James, Harrison, Aaronson - they were all with us two and a half years ago when we were relegated and they were all called hopeless and not good enough for the Premier League. They were outstanding on Championship level but they still have a point to prove that all those labels were not right. We shouldn't expect any miracles. It's not like this team with 100 points and nearly 100 goals in the Championship can cut the Premier League to pieces, especially in away games. We have top characters. We know we don't have the best individual quality but we have to be fitter, tighter together, show fighting spirit and be more effective. It's important we keep the games tight. The importance of being rock solid and clean sheets will be even more than in the Championship."
Farke on his Leeds United attacking options
For the first time Farke hinted that the January transfer window might present a chance to change things but until then he says he has to be reasonable in his expectations of the attackers at his disposal.
"Not a concern because I'm aware of this," he said. "I've addressed this, the players we have. We would just need a bit more quality in the offence like more or less each and every other Premier League side has. I can't expect something from a player he's not capable of delivering. It's not like I expect players labelled not good enough three years ago to come here and score goals for fun.
"We try to be good in possession, we were in the first half, we dominated against Everton and many parts against Newcastle. We never just try to park the bus but I can't expect as many end products as in the Championship. We have to play tight games and make sure we score goals from our situations. This will be our approach until at least January, let's see what happens in January. My dream football is possession and play the opponents off the park, you know my reputation as a coach, but I have to adapt to reality and make sure we're rock solid."
Continue Reading