The look of despair, dejection, and desperation was clear when Ethan Ampadu stood in front of the LUTV cameras and gave an interview after Leeds United’s 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest.
A fourth defeat in five Premier League games for Leeds, and a fifth defeat in their sixth league game away from home, has Leeds fans questioning the club’s ability to survive relegation. Daniel Farke’s future, too.
Leeds had taken the lead through Lukas Nmecha, but it resulted in a 3-1 loss as Ibrahim Sangare, Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliott Anderson scored for Sean Dyche’s side. A dismal result for Leeds and Farke.
Especially, with such a difficult run of fixtures coming up for Leeds. After the November break, Leeds have to play an Aston Villa side that beat Bournemouth 4-0 today. Then, Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool.
Ethan Ampadu during Forest's win over Leeds.
Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images
Ethan Ampadu is fed up with post-game rhetoric as Leeds lose
No Leeds player will come away from Sunday’s loss and feel they earned pass marks. Even Ampadu, who is so often reliable in the middle of the park, was largely poor as Leeds struggled to cope with Forest.
Speaking to LUTV after the match, Ampadu attempted to remind supporters that it is a “long season” before quickly adding that he doesn’t want to keep saying it is a long season, to try and appease fans.
“Deflated, dejected. It’s a good time for a break, to regroup and go again. We will stick together, and there is a long way to go – but we don’t want to have to keep saying this,” Ampadu said post-match.
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What must change to stop Ampadu from saying the same thing?
Leeds looked beleaguered and without any idea of how to stop Forest from pouring over the top of them. Farke even admitted in his post-match comments that he was bereft of ideas, from the Leeds bench.
The pressure is growing on Farke. Reports said he had five games to save his job, but the feeling from the Leeds end on Sunday was not a positive one. The break is known as a good time to change managers.
Daniel Farke during Leeds' defeat to Forest.
Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images
Perhaps, for Leeds, for Ampadu and even for Farke, it is time for a change. Leeds cannot do what they did and cling onto hope that the manager will eventually come good, like they did with Jesse Marsch in 2023.
Farke could easily go and watch Leeds lose the next four matches, given the strength of the opponent. By that time, relegation will look a whole lot more likely as the Premier League approaches Christmas.