Daniel Farke reveals which Leeds United players must be obedient during 'old school values' debate

The German is serious about leading by example and has sung countless praises of club captain Liam Cooper and vice-skipper Luke Ayling despite their changing role in the Leeds team this season.

Farke insists that Leeds’ young squad must be respectful and obedient of the elder statesmen in this squad of promotion hopefuls, which is an important benchmark to set and ground-rule to observe considering the Whites’ first-team group is among the youngest in the division.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Championship fixture against Plymouth Argyle at Elland Road, Farke discussed the attitudes of young players, as well as how the game’s expectations have changed with the pervading presence of social media and camera-phones at every turn off the field.

On the whole, the manager was sympathetic to the stresses and strains faced by the younger members of his squad, in a footballing world he says is in some ways different to that of 20 or 30 years ago, whilst also pondering the aspects which have ostensibly remained the same.

"This discussion was even ongoing when I was 16 and 17. My older teammates were always talking about, 'Oh, the younger generation they don't listen anymore, they're not self-critical anymore.'

"Yes, development in comparison to former years is a bit different because in my generation when you were a young player it was quite natural that you always carry the bags and carry the goals and you're not allowed to be on the physio bed, perhaps with a broken leg but not otherwise, and the older players were always on it and more or less criticising you.

"To be quite honest I quite like this and we still have some old school values in our squad.”

While Karl Darlow is the squad’s oldest member at 33, he is new to the club and yet to fully announce himself on the field. Cooper, Ayling, Stuart Dallas, Patrick Bamford and Sam Byram, meanwhile, are the dressing room’s veterans – each of whom having surpassed their 30th birthdays – and several were part of the 2019/20 promotion-winning campaign. That is not to say the remainder of Leeds’ squad is made up of wide-eyed youngsters whose tendencies are to play with reckless abandon. Some of the group’s most experienced players in terms of match minutes at a high level are the likes of 23-year-old Illan Meslier and 24-year-old stand-in skipper Pascal Struijk.

Although, when it comes to settling disputes on the field, Farke says there is a clear way of determining who is in the right and vice versa.

"I don't like arguments between players on the pitch, between young players and the older players.

"On the pitch there is one right, one value, the older player is always right - even if he's wrong, he's right. And there's no discussion about that.

"We can discuss about it after the game and we can then come to the conclusion that perhaps even young Archie Gray was right and perhaps Liam Cooper was wrong and we can speak about this, but not on the pitch.

"You need some proper leadership and also these values. I think that's quite important,” Farke told reporters ahead of this weekend’s clash with the Pilgrims.

Cooper, incidentally, is due a recall with Struijk sitting out today’s game following hernia surgery, and despite a palpable sense that there is a changing of the guard at Elland Road, the Scottish international still retains supreme on-pitch authority – and Farke is keen for his squad, the fans and those around the club to remember that.