<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1UUN2Y_0vtvbdrC00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1UUN2Y_0vtvbdrC00" width="820" height="1093" ></figure><p><b>Leeds currently sit fifth in the table after losing just one of eight matches so far. How would you sum up your start?</b></p><blockquote><p>There’s always a hangover after losing a playoff final. Team sport is so often about emotional state as much as mental and physical preparedness, and that’s one area where sports analysis and commentary is lacking.</p><p>Leeds also lost some key players in the summer in order to comply with financial fair play regulations, as well as through release clauses, so there were a myriad of reasons why we should’ve got off to a shaky start.</p><p>However, the first two months of this campaign have showed why Farke has twice won promotion from the Championship: pragmatism, defensive solidity, possession-based control of games and placing the onus on attacking players to show their flare against low blocks.</p></blockquote><p><b>Daniel Farke is very much a Championship promotion specialist following his time with Norwich. How do supporters currently view him after failing to achieve promotion last season?</b></p><blockquote><p>There were – unbelievably – calls for Farke to be sacked from some ill-informed sections of the fanbase, but on the whole, Leeds fans like Farke, albeit without loving him. </p><p>His pragmatic style is sometimes difficult to get excited about, and Leeds fans have endured two difficult seasons, first when Marcelo Bielsa was sacked, then the season after which culminated in relegation, then last season’s playoff heartbreak. </p><p>There’s a sense of boom or bust with this campaign but on the whole, people are generally positive about the manager.</p></blockquote><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=14ZU0w_0vtvbdrC00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=14ZU0w_0vtvbdrC00" width="1920" height="1280" ><p><b>During the summer, Leeds lost the likes of Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter, Archie Gray and Glen Kamara.</b></p><h2>How have those players been replaced? </h2><blockquote><p>The players who departed over the summer were massive for us. </p><p>Summerville and Rutter combined for over fifty of our goals last season and you can’t just replace that- especially not with Championship budgets. </p><p>Gray was the future and past of the club. A name synonymous with Leeds United, there has been a ‘Gray’ in the starting eleven for 25% of Leeds games since the 1960s.</p><p>Kamara was replaced with Joe Rothwell, Ao Tanaka and Jayden Bogle came in to replace Gray, and Largie Ramazani came in to replace Summerville. </p><p>I’m not sure if Rutter was replaced- it doesn’t look like it, but perhaps Manor Solomon, can, although he’s had a history of injuries his whole career and is now injured again, so although he looked like a great player, I’m not really sure why we bothered.</p></blockquote><p><b>Aside from the players mentioned above, who should Sunderland be wary of? </b></p><blockquote><p>First and foremost, Willy Gnonto and secondly, Mateo Joseph. </p><p>Gnonto has been filling some of the gaps left by Rutter and Summerville as well as the injured Dan James and Manor Solomon, and Joseph has stepped up as the main striker in Patrick Bamford’s absence. </p><p>He’s done everything but score. It’ll happen for him, and maybe Friday night is his time.</p></blockquote><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1dKgIR_0vtvbdrC00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1dKgIR_0vtvbdrC00" width="1920" height="1280" ><p><b>Almost a year on from moving, Leo Hjelde has lost his place at left back and has become a backup figure.</b></p><h2>What was his best position at Leeds?</h2><blockquote><p>Hjelde was a youth player who never broke into Leeds’ first team. </p><p>From what I saw of him at youth level, he looked much more comfortable at centre back.</p></blockquote><p><b>After playing regularly in the Premier League for Leeds, Ian Poveda found himself out on loan and then released. </b></p><h2>What do you think were the key factors behind his departure? </h2><blockquote><p>He was just was nowhere near the level of his competition for those wide positions. </p><p>Over the years, we’ve had Raphinha (who captained Barcelona recently), Dan James, who came in for big money, and Crysencio Summerville, who was Championship ‘Player of the Year’, so the bar has been high at Leeds- too high for Ian.</p><p>Whether it was totally down to his skill levels, I don’t know. </p><p>He was a journeyman at youth level as well, which can signal other issues like temperament, attitude, commitment to training, or something with fitness and being injury-prone.</p></blockquote><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0N4v50_0vtvbdrC00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0N4v50_0vtvbdrC00" width="960" height="1440" ><p><b>Two seasons on from his loan spell at Sunderland, Joe Gelhardt is still struggling for first team minutes at Leeds.</b></p><h2>Are you surprised he hasn’t been loaned out since? </h2><blockquote><p>Again, Gelhardt never broke into Leeds’ first team, even though he scored a couple of really important goals for us off the bench. </p><p>He was incredible at youth level and tore the PL2 to shreds, but the step up has been too steep. He can also lose his temper quite easily, which has led to some nervy incidents where he lost his discipline – always a headache for managers. </p><p>There’s an amazing player in there: extraordinarily talented and with an incredibly powerful shot, but he’s never found or been given the opportunity at Leeds to build momentum.</p><p>He hasn’t gone on loan because we’re short on players and he was once considered one of our best young prospects.</p></blockquote><p><b>In terms of style of play, how do you expect Leeds to set up at the Stadium of Light?</b></p><blockquote><p>We’ll play 4-2-3-1 with the ball and probably 4-4-2 without it. </p><p>Farke’s side will look to dominate possession and will press highly at times, with the aim of testing the ability of your defence to play out from the back.</p></blockquote><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3WabC0_0vtvbdrC00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3WabC0_0vtvbdrC00" width="1920" height="1280" ><h2>Which eleven players do you think will start?</h2><blockquote><p>Meslier (GK), Bogle, Rodon; Struijk, Firpo, Tanaka; Rothwell, Gnonto, Ramazani; Aaronson, Joseph.</p></blockquote><h2>Sunderland took four points from Leeds last season.</h2><h2>What’s your score prediction this time around?</h2><blockquote><p>I think Sunderland should be very wary of Leeds. </p><p>This side is difficult to play through or break down. We play out fairly well from the back and if you try and press highly, we have speed up front that’s a nightmare to defend against. </p><p>However, Sunderland have teeth this season and have shown that with a fantastic start. I think it’ll be a close game with Leeds to win 2-1. </p></blockquote><div style="position:relative;width:100%; height:0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kU2RHzBA7R0?rel=0" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" style="width:100%; height:100%;top:0; left:0; position:absolute"></iframe></div></div></body>

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Fan Focus: Leeds fan Adonis thinks Sunderland should be very wary of Daniel Farke’s side!

Leeds currently sit fifth in the table after losing just one of eight matches so far. How would you sum up your start?. There’s always a hangover after losing a playoff final. Team sport is so often about emotional state as much as mental and physical preparedness, and that’s one area where sports analysis and commentary is lacking.

Fan Focus: Leeds fan Adonis thinks Sunderland should be very wary of Daniel Farke’s side!

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