Daniel Farke's pre-Bristol City press conference highlights as Leeds United boss launches into lengthy Joel Piroe answer

There are advantages and disadvantages. I don’t have strong thoughts to be honest. It’s difficult because it takes emotions out of the game. If the process is right then it makes the decisions more fair, but the emotions aren’t there anymore. If we can get the processes right, then it makes sense to have VAR.

I get the feeling we are right now in each and every press conference discussing this topic. I totally understand this, it’s football, everyone has their own opinion. Let’s make a deal, I give you right now a bit lengthy my whole thoughts to this topic and please don’t ask me again: so, first my general thought is I’m a big believer to play players in their best position. This means also if we then talk about Georginio, Bamford, Piroe, Mateo Joseph, Gelhardt, only one of them can be on the pitch, if you ask them all where they want to play, they will say ‘striker’. If I’m honest, I quite like to have two or three on the pitch because we need goals. We were lacking in the past, goals from deeper positions. We can’t just rely on goals from the striker. The second point is, your best position always differs between clubs. Joel has played many games for Swansea in striker but behind a quick and mobile striker and has also scored goals there. If you score 20 goals for a club for a club fighting against relegation, is mid-table or a club fighting for the top position, it’s a different ask. With all respect to Swansea but I think it’s different if you have to score 20 for Swansea or Leeds United. The setup is different, at Swansea for example, he was the main man and every pass goes into him. Here he plays with Georgi, Bamford, Summerville, Anthony, there are also some proper players fed with passes, it’s a different role if you’re only the main man or play with other players, we must not forget. In comparison to Swansea, it’s perhaps a side, sometimes they were sitting deeper in away games and were a bit more reluctant. Here we need a striker with different qualities, if we speak about Joel, some of his qualities they tempt me to play him in the one striker position. His finishing is world class, I love his finishing. If he has the ball close to the box, quite often the next touch is from the halfway line. I would love to play him in the striker position, but for us we want to have the ball in every moment, we need a player to lead the line pressing. Because we’re so dominant we need a player who stretches the line with runs in behind. With all respect to Joel’s finishing abilities, I wouldn’t label his pressing ability the best in the league. He isn’t lightning quick and speedy Gonzalez and we have to play to his strengths. At Swansea he dropped deep, arrived late in the box with instinctive finishes. I think it’s not healthy if after each great game when he scores goals, we’re singing the song of Joel Piroe and every time he doesn’t score, we’re putting in his head he’s playing the wrong position. At Southampton, he was in the striker position, Georgi feeds him with a pass, come on. It’s not healthy for him. And the last thought, or second or third last, I’m on fire here, try to calm myself down, I’m thinking about the team. I’m not here to win the golden boot, I want to be successful for the team. I want that we are successful with the team. I am not interested if Bamford, Rutter or Piroe wins the golden boot. This is the most important [thing], that they all score. Swansea played Piroe up front but they are not promoted, they didn’t win the title. I have one target: to be successful as a club and we have to score all over the pitch. Joel has four goals in seven games, if he finishes with this average it’s happy days. It’s quite natural sometimes that offensive players don’t score, we need also the goals of Bamford, Rutter and the other offensive players. Really my last thought, I always try to stay humble and I don’t overrate my position, it’s not about me, I want to support my players and help my players but I’ve won the league twice, I know what’s necessary in order to win this league and believe me we need goals from everywhere. I was a striker, I started my coaching career at a smaller club in Germany, we had a striker who won the golden boot, we had to sell him due to financial reasons, next striker golden boot, same again. Then again I moved to Borussia Dortmund II, Marvin Ducksch, he scored the golden boot, we sold him to Werder Bremen, really good striker. Next one won the golden boot. Five seasons in a row my striker won the golden boot. I moved to England and we signed Teemu Pukki, I worked with him, he won the golden boot in the Championship twice. I went to Borussia Monchengladbach, I converted Marcus Thuram into a striker and he scored double figures, played in the World Cup Final for France, scored 15 goals, finished second in golden boot. I know my business when it comes down to strikers. When it comes to winning this league, I know my business. I know exactly what my strikers need.

Not an unbelievable amount of numbers but I’m sure we will send out 11 players onto the pitch. There are not too many full-backs available, we will have to go with such a solution if we don’t change our base formation. We are working on some options.

If I’m honest, it’s not too much my topic. I don’t have the time or energy. I’m just focused on the players we have with us. I’m not too concerned or worried about the players out on loan. We follow quite closely what they are doing, for example during the international break, there is some time to think more about this topic, but we will do this when the time is right. Let them keep going with their clubs right now and we will focus on the players we have with us.

They are all different, each game needs a bit of different tactical necessity so it’s good you have different profiles. Sometimes you need a full-back more inverted, a higher position stretches the full-back, or a technical strength, the quality in terms of heading or defending so it always depends on the game.

I’m never addicted to a special point tally, but our point average would be pretty good and our position in the table. It’s important where you are in the table after 11 games but after a really good spell with many good defensive games apart from Southampton first half, perhaps, it would be a perfect final finish before the international break and mean we would go into the games after the break with confidence. We need to be on it and at our best.

This home game against Bristol [City] is crucial. We want to stabilise in the top six. We need a buzzing Elland Road tomorrow. We need supporters who will sing their souls out of their bodies. It’s our responsibility to work unbelievably hard and professional. I expect a really difficult game against Nigel Pearson’s side. They don’t concede many goals, we have to be on it, it’s one of the most difficult and complicated games we’ve had so far.

When you play at least 46 games, it’s not like for each game you can burn like a candle from both sides because it’s not healthy. You have to wait for the right moments to go full gear. Sometimes you have to control a game, good game management, a bit of calm.

Joe [Rodon] is alright. Warrior, Welsh, no problem at all. Jaidon Anthony has a knock, [he is] 50-50. Yesterday he rolled his ankle, today he is much improved.

Jamie will miss the game, his shoulder is too painful but hopefully back after the international break. Sam Byram, we have to see, we’ll make a late call, the situation is slightly better than last time.