‘No excuses’ - Daniel Farke sends firm warning to Leeds United stars amid shrinking squad

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has made it clear that he doesn’t want any excuses from his side ahead of Friday night’s clash with West Brom.

It has been a tricky start to the season for the Whites, who have failed to win either of their first two Championship clashes. Leeds followed up a late draw with Cardiff City on the opening day with a late defeat to Birmingham City last weekend, and they now take on a West Brom side who will be expecting to push for promotion this season.

Ahead of the clash, Leeds have been left short of bodies after allowing a number of high-earning players to leave on loan, while replacements have been few and far between.

Those replacements are expected to arrive over the next week or so, but for the West Brom clash, Farke has just seven substitutes, and two of them are goalkeepers.

Still, he wants no excuses from his men nor anyone else, telling Sky Sports: “Nothing. It’s not my topic before the game, and we don’t need sympathy. We don’t need to feel sorry for ourselves, no excuse, and it’s 11 against 11.

“I also have five outfield players on the bench and I can’t bring more than five players on, so no excuses, I’m just concentrating on being the best we can be with this team, and we won’t let our standards drop. We want a good performance. Before the game, it’s not the topic for me.”

Asked what he wants to see from his men against the Baggies, Farke continued: “It was a really strong performance against a really experienced side. Definitely, we need lots intensity on the ball tonight to move the ball quickly, and with good structure. We need a complex performance to win the points, and that’s what we will try to do.”