Leeds United players arrived back at Thorp Arch this week, some of them carrying heavy emotional baggage from international football but there's a limit to Daniel Farke's sympathy.
It was a decidedly mixed international break for members of Farke's Leeds squad. His Welsh contingent of Karl Darlow, Ethan Ampadu and Joe Rodon faced the tickiest of tests in a double-header against England and Belgium but lost both games. The latter was a particularly dramatic affair with Rodon opening the scoring with his second ever international goal before Ampadu was penalised by a handball spotted by VAR.
Gabriel Gudmundsson also suffered a disappointing break with losses at the hands of Switzerland and Kosovo leaving them bottom of their World Cup qualifying group and ending the managerial reign of Jon Dahl Tomasson. Ilia Gruev's Bulgaria conceded 10 in defeats by Spain and Turkey. But Jaka Bijol helped Slovenia to a pair of clean sheets and Ao Tanaka came off the bench to help see out Japan's famous 3-2 victory over Brazil.
Farke says it can be a difficult time re-integrating international players back into the club setting, particularly when they have been through the ringer with their national teams. Focus has to switch immediately to Saturday's vital Premier League game against fellow newly-promoted side Burnley.
"Of course, it's always tricky," he said. "They're involved in many disappointing results – for example Ilia Gruev had a big defeat against Turkey while Gaby Gudmundsson’s manager was sacked. Sweden’s qualification for the World Cup is now in doubt and it’s difficult – the Wales results were not that great. To represent your country is the proudest thing that you can do and it's also a dream to be involved in a World Cup. They come back on Thursday or are perhaps back in team training on Friday and I tell them ‘listen, by the way tomorrow is the most important game in the world and it's a must-win game and the only thing that matters’. It's difficult for the players, you had Ao travelling around the world and beating Brazil. Then it’s like ‘okay, we have to step up to beat Burnley’."
Farke's sympathy only goes so far but he believes the 'day job' can be exactly what players need when they come back from an emotionally fraught international break. The dressing room environment helps.
"It's difficult but this is why they sign professional contracts and earn proper money, so I don’t think we have to have too much sympathy," said the Leeds boss.
"I don't expect them to be like robots and overload them straight away with information about Turf Moor. Sometimes you also need to give them a bit of peace and the chance to settle back in. But the feeling was also, speaking to Gabby for example, Ilia and the Welsh boys, it feels like a relief to be back with your family because this is more or less what we are in the dressing room, to have your team-mates around and be able to joke a bit. I find it quite often this group helps after disappointing results on international level. The focus turns pretty quick and it’s like ‘okay, I'm home, I want to make sure that we are successful’."
And Farke is not unduly concerned about the veterans in his group who have been through ups and downs before in their national team careers.
"It's perhaps more tricky for a player called up for the first time with this emotion but players like Ethan and Joe Rodon are used to it," he said.
"They have so many games under their belt, so it’s not a big problem anymore and so for that I don't have to be over-conscious or over emotional."
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