Every word Daniel Farke said on Leeds United injuries, January transfer plans and Swansea City

Leeds United are back in action on Wednesday night, taking on Swansea City, and Daniel Farke has been speaking ahead of the Elland Road clash. The Whites are hoping to return to winning ways after a frustrating draw with Rotherham United last time out.

Farke's men head into the clash with Swansea seven points off the top two, and they will be looking to make up further ground after slashing the gap by almost half over recent weeks. Farke has been speaking ahead of Wednesday night's clash, and there was plenty on the agenda, including team news, January transfer plans, Nick Hammond, defensive battles and the involvement of the American owners. Join us below as we take you through every word from the press conference.

Team news

DF: “Yes, so it was enough time to recover for all my players. Rutter, he is over his injury and back to 100%. The same with Liam Cooper, he limped off with some problems in his glutes, but he is back. Pascal (Struijk) also and some other players who were involved, just in the last days of training, players like Djed Spence, Joe Gelhardt and also Jamie Shackleton, it is also beneficial for them to have four or five days on the training pitch. No question marks and everyone is available. We have one more session tomorrow morning, but at the moment, apart from our long-term injuries, with Stuart Dallas, everyone is available.”

Cooper and Struijk battle

DF: “I am always happy to have Liam available, and it was a good performance in the last games. I’m also happy Pascal is back. I’m not too bothered about the turnaround from Friday to Wednesday, but the other turnaround will be quite quick, from Wednesday to Saturday, and we have three games in eight games - it’s good to have options back. Liam came off a long-term injury, and the same for Sam Byram, it’s difficult to play three games in eight games. They are good options for the upcoming games.”

Firpo and Byram battle

DF: “They are both really good left full-backs, and Sam can play on the right side, but he has played in recent years on the left. I’m happy to have two top options, especially because both have history in terms of injuries. In a season with 46 games and two cup competitions, it’s good to have players of good level and experience available. They are also different, and it is good because it makes us a little less predictable. Sam can play with different angles in the build-up with his right foot, and he is strong defending. It is good to have those options available, and they have different qualities, which is good for us as a team.”

What do you make of Bolasie to Swansea?

DF: “Yes, he is a really good player and we are aware, but he was also out of contract and out of team training. I don’t expect him to play 90 minutes, but we have spoken about this, and my players are aware that he is an option for this game.”

What do you make of Swansea?

DF: “I like them. So, in general, they have changed their approach and style under the new manager, but not in a bad way, not at all. You can see their DNA and their passing quality. They have also put intensity into their game and work with counter attacks. They have different threats, and they are difficult to predict. They have many quality players for this level, and we have to be respectful because we want to get back to winning ways and this is a strong Championship side.”

Only unbeaten home side. Have you brought a new confidence?

DF: “I have mentioned at the beginning of the season, in my first meeting, that a key topic is to make a fortress out of Elland Road because it is our home ground and it should be our living room. It’s the same as home. If someone wants to conquer your living room, you do everything to prevent this. This is what we want to do, and if we want to be in a good position at the end of the season, we have to make sure we get points, especially in home games. Yes, there have been some draws, but we have got good results and you have to make sure the next one is a successful result. It is not guaranteed, but we obviously want to extend the winning and unbeaten run. Our amazing fans will always support us home and away, but especially in the home games. The atmosphere at home is second-to-none, and it will be a great game under the lights. We hope to win this game.”

Your techniques to build mental strength

DF: “No secrets or witchcraft. It’s more to speak about general things, to send messages and to implement a winning mentality. This is what you need to be capable of lifting silverware at the end of the season. You need to make sure in this league that you are prepared for 46 games, always respectful but full of confidence and you have to make sure that, when it really counts, when the spotlight is on the game, you don’t lose and you keep your nerves, stick to your beliefs and don’t overdo things. It is what we have shown this season, and we did it at Leicester. To speak about winning mentality, it’s not just the end of the season, there are many games to go, and hopefully we have implemented it the right way, and if it is successful at the end of the season, maybe I will tell you more secrets about it.”

Nick Hammond to stick around. Are you pleased?

DF: “He is brilliant. He is key to our success in the recent months by gaining more stability for this club. I have great support with Angus and Nick. Unbelievable support. Nick, with his experience and network, his quality and how he handles things in different circumstances…we spoke a lot about the contractual situations in the summer, and he used his quality and experience, but also his personality is fantastic, and he is fully committed to our club. It’s a perfect decision to keep him here for longer. It’s a joy to work with him on a daily basis. We don’t have a very big group with a lot of people to discuss, but we know each other from day-to-day more, and I’m pretty pleased with this group and how much support we have. But many applause go to Nick, and it’s fantastic to have him around.”

Have you spoken about January recruitment?

DF: "Yes. I think the task with Nick and Greta, to prepare the long-term picture and not just January. We have to think to next season and even further ahead. It’s important for me to concentrate on the daily work and the short-term success. I have to focus on the next game, and to make sure the next training session is at the top level. It’s important for me to have people I can trust to work in the background. They work a lot on it and we chat, but my main focus is still the here and now, and I am grateful to have people to work on the mid and long-term future.”

How often do you deal with the Americans?

DF: "In the beginning, when we had the initial talks, a lot because I wanted to see the whole picture and how they wanted to lead the club. My gut feeling was really good about this, and we were on the same page on how to bring stability and mid and long-term success. Everyone wants short-term success, but we need sustainability. We were on the same page, and in the beginning, it was important to be in touch a lot, but he (Paraag) has experience in sports business and he knows I have to focus on my players right now, and I don’t have too much time to be distracted about other things, so I think we have found, and are still finding a good balance to stay in touch and speak about general things, but I still have time and energy to focus on the daily work. It’s fantastic to have these people around, and this club is blessed with a lot of quality people at the moment. We have to be on it and not enjoying it too much. Momentum can switch quickly at this level."

Should it be a calmer January window?

DF: "Hopefully. You never know what happens in this business. If you ask me right now, it would be a calm window because the key decisions for our squad are made, and you can always have a look at one or two positions, and what can happen with loan players, but it won’t affect the major direction of the club. We have to keep the core players and to make sure the key players of the club are together. The group around the players, also the staff, are there, and it should be a relaxed window and a different one to what we had in the summer. We know everything is smoothly working and that we are on the right path. We won’t fall asleep, but I’m expecting a pretty calm window.”

A busy schedule ahead. How crucial is this period?

DF: “It’s very beneficial to have the experience of what it means to be involved in the festive period, to have a crazy amount of games. We know human beings take time for families, and Christmas day we spend in the hotel because we have an away game. We have several days without a day off, so it will be a tough period. But it is beneficial that we had the pressure before the last international break. It’s important to find the balance to focus on the work but also to take mental rest because if you burn the candle at both sides, the candle is pretty quickly over, so you have to make sure you are also fresh for the crunch time period. We have many players we can and will use, and we have a really good group to handle the load of the upcoming games. We have to make sure the squad is in good shape and to have a high spirit. But we also can’t rotate too much. I am happy to have had experience at this level and this helps a lot.”

You've had good luck with injuries so far. What's the secret?

DF: "Lots of credit goes to our medical department. Rob and the guys are doing a fantastic job. Our sports science, nutritionists…it’s easy to underestimate this but this two or three percent can make a big difference, and in the colder months when the pitches get more difficult. With international breaks, to head into these months without an injured player, aside from long-term injury Stuart Dallas, I have not had this situation. But the credit goes to the sporting staff. They are doing outstanding work, but also to the players. We speak a lot about how we live, work, sleep, and these good behaviors. This is what they are doing at the moment. Of course, there are no guarantees, and there can be a knock or a foul like Daniel James suffered in the last game…this is usually a penalty, but you can’t avoid it and it is a competitive sport with injuries. But we have to reduce the amount of injuries, and at the moment, everyone who supports us is doing a fantastic job.”