Leeds United press conference live: Daniel Farke on team news, Swansea City and more

Join us for live coverage of Daniel Farke's press conference ahead of Leeds United's home clash with Swansea City on Wednesday night.

Leeds United are back in action on Wednesday night when they face Swansea City at Elland Road, and Daniel Farke will speak this afternoon to preview that clash. The Whites are coming off a disappointing draw with Rotherham United, but they still managed to gain ground on second placed Ipswich Town.

Attention now turns to the Swansea clash, and Farke will be expecting his men to return to winning ways to keep up the pressure on those above. Ahead of the clash, Farke will address the media to discuss team news, recent form and his plans for Wednesday night. Join us below as we bring you live coverage of the press conference, which begins at 1.30pm.

Daniel Farke press conference pre-Leeds United vs Swansea City

That's it from Farke this afternoon, but we will have plenty of build-up coverage across the website this afternoon and this evening to get you ready for tomorrow's game.

Enjoy the rest of your day, and be sure to head to our Leeds United homepage for the latest.

Good luck with injuries so far?

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.”

Busy schedule. 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.”

Should it be a calmer window in January?

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.”

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."

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

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