Leeds United: Monk determined to stick by his game-by-game mantra
Fifth-placed Leeds are on course for their first appearance in the Championship’s play-offs since 2006 with United holding a six-point buffer back to those teams outside of the top six.
Seventh-placed Fulham would cut that deficit to five points if maintaining winning ways and also picking up three points from their game in hand but Leeds are odds-on across the board to finish in the top six.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdTop two Newcastle United and Brighton are eight points and nine points respectively ahead of Leeds – and with a game in hand – but United still have to play both.
Yet Monk is refusing to look beyond anything but today’s trip to 13th-placed Ipswich Town, with the Whites head coach keen to stick to a formula that works and that has United’s players focused on matters purely from day to day.
“It is game by game,” said Monk, asked if there was more to come at Leeds and if the Whites were ahead of schedule.
“If you get too carried away with things and too focused on other things then it distracts you.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“So with these players, we just concentrate them on the day that they train and on Thursday all they had to worry about was what they did on that day and the best that they do it and it would be the same for Friday.
“There’s no thinking of anything else.
“There’s no worrying about where we are and what stage we are at, it’s about what you did today.
“That’s how we follow it, that’s how I follow it with my staff and from the training this week you could see that they cared about what they are doing.
“Just give your maximum in the training and that will prepare us in the best way to try and deliver performances and that’s how we feel.
“It’s worked for us so far and I don’t see any reason to change it.”