- 5 hours ago
Farke on Calvin-Lewin rescuing Leeds a point after 1-1 Man Utd draw
18/10/2026
Elland Road, Leeds, UK
18/10/2026
Elland Road, Leeds, UK
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00:00A little warning about that, so overall, how do you see that? Do you see it as an opportunity gone
00:04or missed or a good point? How do you see it for the team as well?
00:10Actually, I wanted to win this game and my boys as well. I think you could see this also outside.
00:17For that, it's even a situation and we are even a bit disappointed that we didn't win it.
00:23But on the other hand, you have to say, so it says a lot about what we've done over the
00:27last years that we're right now even slightly disappointed with the point.
00:32It was just a point against Man United. I think we were the better side today.
00:37The dominant side was not necessary to be in a losing position at halftime because even the first half we
00:44were very dominant, but it's still Man United.
00:47If you, in one moment, not switch on to defend forward and also to spot the run and track the
00:51run, then, yeah, with their quality and in Bömo, they can hurt you.
00:55And that's what they did. I think we lacked a little bit in our decision making in the first half.
01:01So we could have done a bit better and can play it in and around the box with a bit
01:08more clarity.
01:08I think this is what we added in the second half, especially in the beginning, push for the equalizer, fully
01:13deserved a really good equalizer, had the momentum completely on our side.
01:18Yes, and the problem was there were too many strikes over the crossbar and too many crosses were then even
01:23a bit too long.
01:23And, you know, this situation killed then a bit our momentum.
01:27I think otherwise we would have capitalized even more and would have won this game.
01:32But this lack of quality in the finishing and in the crossing was more or less the only thing I
01:38can criticize.
01:39Because on the other hand, you always have to be aware it's still Man United and the quality that they
01:44have and can bring in more or less with a counterattack.
01:46They can still hurt you and we have not allowed anything in the second half and for that.
01:52Yeah, many, many compliments to my players for another really good performance and a dominant performance against Man United with
02:00a bit more quality in our final third.
02:03I think we could have even won it and, yeah, but that's more or less the only thing I can
02:07criticize.
02:07Can you just talk us through the changes, obviously, you know, to try and go for that second goal.
02:11So we saw, like, come on, didn't see Harry Wilson, didn't see Bojai, for example, we saw an actual non
02:16-star.
02:17Yes, it was a different game today in comparison to some of the last game days where we were, yeah,
02:25against Crystal Palace, for example, very dominant here at home or need to chase an equalizer away at Arsenal.
02:31So it was more or less like the second half, we had to defend a bit like a basketball team,
02:36always quick transition moments for Man United.
02:40And for that we needed legs and also up front because they played so deep and changed more or less
02:47like it was like to a back five.
02:49It was more important instead of going for the genius pass today, more or less like to thread them with
02:55physicality.
02:56I think Lucas was sometimes very close to win the game with the situation to us.
03:01And I think we need today a bit more the physicality and the experience of Lucas and Sean to win
03:06this game.
03:06Sadly, yeah, we were just pretty close with the last moment when Antoinette, I think, a good chance and couldn't
03:13get the ball past Masraoui, I think it was in the end.
03:16And so it was slightly different this game and slightly different necessities.
03:21So it was not the time for our perhaps technical players who can find the easy little pass.
03:26It was more or less today we need a bit more experience and physicality and yeah, for that, that was
03:33more the decision making with substitutions.
03:37The players took the knee for the first time today in a long time, the anti-racism message, Dominic didn't
03:41take many at all, there was a little bit of booing around the stadium.
03:44What are your thoughts on that as a gesture and whether it's still having the right impact and sending the
03:48right message?
03:50If I'm honest, I wasn't even aware that we would take the knee, but of course I was aware of
03:55the campaign and support this as well.
03:58It's also good that everyone supports the campaign if I would have been more or less a bit more aware
04:03before the game.
04:04I would have spoken about it, but I think Dom does it always like, he is more or less like,
04:08no, don't go down, I show my respect by standing up more or less.
04:11I think each individual is different and shows respect for this campaign in a different way.
04:17It's definitely a good campaign and a good topic that football and sports more or less in general support situations
04:26like this
04:26because a dressing room is a perfect example of how we should all live together, different passports, different languages, different
04:34religions, whatever,
04:35but they are all together really as just human beings and friends and work together from one to one target
04:42and this is how the world should be and it's also important to have such a game there, yes.
04:46Over the last ten months you've been very, very consistent, very, very hard to beat.
04:51Today, again, defended very, very well, like you say, allowed very, very little in the second half.
04:55Do you think matches like this show that there are still lots of improvements to making the attack in terms
05:00of the steps the club still needs to take
05:02into totally consistent winners at this level?
05:05Yes, of course, but we knew this before, so we've spoken that the first step more on Premier League level
05:11was also to strengthen the defence,
05:13to strengthen the physicality, to strengthen also like our defensive behaviour in total.
05:19I think we are excellent in this terms, what we are doing that we didn't have perhaps the signature signings
05:25more or less in the offence is just a fact,
05:29but it's more like a house you are also built step by step and you don't start with the roof
05:33more or less like the basics have to be right
05:35and for a promoted side just last season it's important to do more or less the basics and we want
05:40to improve step by step also like without risking the sustainability of the club,
05:45but we also know that we have to do also in the future if we want to speak perhaps about
05:50other goals right now,
05:51but for right now for this time it's still a bit the goal more or less to play the first
05:56time since more than 25 years,
05:58another solid season on the Premier League level and this is the focus and in this terms we are definitely
06:03on the right path.
06:05How do you feel your players handle the occasion? It's not the new thing for many of your players in
06:11this game,
06:11but the fans today at least thought there was a real opportunity, you could sense that in the stands.
06:17At the start it's almost like your players were over eager and there was a lot of missed passes and
06:21after all time was stabilised
06:22and then you petered out a little bit again. So how do you think your players handled the day?
06:28Yeah, it's always a special special game and you can't take this away and they're all just human beings,
06:33so it's not like they don't want them to play ice cold. I rather go them with lots of intensity
06:38and with one percent and to go for it
06:40and then to be sometimes there was a mistake instead of going too relaxed and too cool into it,
06:45perhaps unbelievably tidy on the ball but lacking a bit commitment and hard work and I like it more the
06:52other way around.
06:53This was also a bit the fact today. I'm not sure if it just has to do a bit with
06:58the occasion
06:58or perhaps with the topic you also spoke beforehand, so it's not like that we have perhaps an individual quality
07:06like other teams when I think about how much quality up front Man United has and also was on the
07:12bench
07:12and they could bring from the bench and they didn't even use from the bench and how much these players
07:17have cost more or less.
07:18At times you can be even a bit jealous but I'm not at all because it's a joy to work
07:24with this group.
07:25It's a very honest group, it's a very hard-working, fully committed group.
07:29Yes, we know in terms of individual quality perhaps we are lacking a little bit in comparison to the top
07:35teams
07:35but we try to compensate this with other skills but also like on the mid and long term we also
07:41know what we have to do as a club.
07:43Excuse me, you said you was a joy to work with these players, just from Tariq and he said he
07:48was really disappointed
07:49that you mentioned his father played really disappointed. I know you have had that but how impressed are you
07:54with your players there holding themselves to a higher account? You know you played two of the top three,
07:59of the last season's top three, of the last two years to come away really disappointed.
08:03Yes, a sign of that we've done many things in a good way over the last years now so that
08:09the mentality is right more or less.
08:11We go into each of the games right now in order to win it and we go with bravery and
08:15confidence into it
08:16and are even disappointed if we don't win a game against Manchester United or against Arsenal.
08:21So it says a lot about the levels that these players are thinking about and I like it a lot.
08:29We know we have still many steps to go until we can label us win like a whatever top five,
08:34top six side anyhow
08:35but we're in a good position, had a good start performance-wise, also point-wise.
08:41We're still unbeaten here at home during the season. We have made out of Elend Road a fortress.
08:45We have shown many good away performance so far and we can go in a good mood and also with
08:50confidence
08:51into this upcoming two very difficult away games.
08:55Stuart?
08:56Andy, you talked there about it being a more physical game in the second half when you were chasing.
09:02Did you feel like you've got a better equipped squad now to play those different ways,
09:07whether it be a physical or a technical game?
09:12Physicality I would say we had also last season, we had also Lukas Mecha for example last season
09:18and Dominic Calvert-Lewin but it's just a fact if you just compare more or less like the individual quality
09:24that they have perhaps in the offence and who was sitting on the bench who was able to come in
09:30with perhaps
09:31no disrespect to my players but with our individual quality there is a little gap.
09:37But if we try to be better in the things where Man United is good at, more or less like
09:42creative
09:43and individual skills and moments of magic, we will always lose.
09:48Because in this terms they are definitely better so we can't and there's a reason why Bruno Ferranc is labelled
09:55more or less like what he is labelled last season.
09:58Why Böhmol?
09:59Why Cunha?
10:01Why Zirkze?
10:02Why Rashford?
10:03And also why they all cost so much money and you know there's a reason.
10:06There's a reason for this and Amadiallo.
10:10And we accept this so we have to be better in other topics is what we're trying to do.
10:15It doesn't take anything away that on the mid and the long term we also want to improve in this
10:19terms.
10:21But at the moment we have to work with what we've got and what we've got is really honest,
10:26really good, really committed, fits and suits also Leeds United and where we are as a city.
10:32But we're also ambitious and want to improve this further on, yes.
10:34When you talk about the ambition, do you feel as though as this team evolves you can be more critical
10:40of them?
10:41Because they're setting higher standards for themselves?
10:46If it was also very critical last season, I think it was also one of the aspects that I don't
10:53like more or less like ego in the dressing room.
10:58And in our meeting room we speak about the games, I don't like vanity more or less like.
11:03I'm always brutally honest and we speak about what we have to improve, what we can do better.
11:08We will speak also about this game that our quality with the strikes has to be better
11:12and not each of the strikes goes over the crossbar.
11:15Our quality in the crosses has to be better.
11:17There were too many crosses, a bit too long.
11:20Our decision making in and around the box will speak about it when we play with a bit more clarity,
11:26that we don't go too much into dribblings and want to go to dribble the ball into the goal.
11:31We have to be a bit more convinced and more committed.
11:34There are always things that we speak very honest and open about it,
11:38but they also know how much I back them and also how much I believe in them
11:41and also can judge them what I can expect from them really, really realistically.
11:46And I can't expect them to be always super tidy, to be always perfect,
11:51to be always just there with a nice little backheel and no-look pass and this always works.
11:56This is at the moment not where we are with this group,
11:59but overall with our skills we can still achieve a lot.
12:02And what we can achieve, we've even shown today,
12:05we were the better side against Man United.
12:07Anybody else?
12:08Dan, yeah.
12:11Can I ask from your perspective in the second round,
12:14it looked like United reverted, Manchester United reverted to a back three.
12:18How do you think your team, back five,
12:21how do you think your team and engineers at the second round to react to,
12:25I think Dominic has spoken about, took a bit of time to adjust, but...
12:30I'm not sure, they have also done it a lot in the first half,
12:33and we've played three-man or five-man formation against Nottingham, against Crystal Palace.
12:37We exactly know what we have to do against the side.
12:39We even spoke before the game because when we got the line-up,
12:42we already expected that at least during times they would switch to a back five,
12:47especially once they are sitting back.
12:49And yes, overall we could have done in a few moments a bit better,
12:53especially to attack in the first half.
12:54The far post a bit better with many cross on the far post,
12:57and we're a bit too late in our positioning.
13:00You have to be even against a back five,
13:02even a bit earlier in the positioning compared to a back four.
13:05But these are topics and things we are used to,
13:09and we have also during this season played, I think, three times,
13:13three-man formation, so for that, nothing too special.
13:17Joe?
13:18On the stand last year, we lost 2-0 at Burnley,
13:21which left us in the 15th, now the seventh after the seventh game,
13:24which is a pretty good spot to be.
13:25I'm not sure that the goal is sort of changing at least at the moment.
13:31Yes, we had a good starting period of seven game days right now,
13:36with a good performance and a good amount of points.
13:39I would also say we had a solid start last season with,
13:42I think, first home game, a win against Everton,
13:45and then also, like, next home game was, I think, a draw against Newcastle,
13:48and then a way win at Wolves.
13:51But each and every season is also a bit different,
13:55with a bit unlucky during a period with not winning many more points.
13:59It was our first season back in Premier League level, of course.
14:02Meanwhile, a bit more mature and a bit more used to this level,
14:06and perhaps a bit less nervous as this helps,
14:10but it's not like we are right now safe that we are in a way better position
14:14compared to last season.
14:16Because if we right now stop delivering this type of performance,
14:20stop winning points, then we could also easily be in trouble.
14:23Because it's more like in this league, to win games, to win points,
14:27it's so, so difficult.
14:28It's the best league in the world, and you have to keep going,
14:30and you have to use this momentum further on.
14:33And this is what we want to do.
14:34We are fully aware that right now, especially two difficult away games are waiting,
14:39and we have to make sure that we concentrate fully on this game,
14:42so we won't rest just because we're in a good position.
14:45Because in the end, ten points won't be enough to achieve our goals.
14:48We want to win many more points.
14:50Okay.
14:51Thanks everyone.
14:52Good.
14:54Have a good day.