Daniel Farke has claimed Leeds United will need to use the time off due to the international break wisely, as he is keen to ease the “mental pressure” and strain on his players after a busy schedule.
The boss has stated the need, especially for the younger players in the squad, to ease the load on them both physically and mentally before beginning preparations for the next league game against Norwich City.
Leeds had played three games in just seven days between their clash against Southampton and the win over Bristol City, and the international break will provide the squad with an opportunity to cool down.
In quotes reported by Leeds Live on 9 October, Farke revealed his plans for the international break, with a need for rest and recuperation paramount during the coming weeks, saying: “Well, it was a busy schedule.
“It’s important right now for the players who will stay here, so many also away from us, for the players who will stay here that we calm the load on the next days because it’s always not just the workload, but also the pressure that comes along with these games.
“Also, for the young lads, it is sometimes difficult, so especially the mental pressure is something we don’t talk too much about.
“For the next days we will calm the load down, then for the middle of next week we will concentrate also on working on the details, especially effectiveness and using our chances and also a few other topics in order to be then really in good shape and we have to go to Norwich in two weeks and we will use this time wisely.
The Championship can be a relentless slog at times, so it’s important as Farke has detailed to take any opportunity possible to ease the pressures and the strains of football and spend time allowing the players to recover mentally as well as physically.
Leeds have a number of young players who won’t necessarily have experienced the amount of game time in such a short space of time as they have so far this season, so it is an important step in their development to protect them from overworking as can often be the case.
The boss recognising that his squad will need to ease the workload is a positive sign, and he has proven with Norwich that he knows how to win promotion from this division, so every little decision he makes will be a step towards that target.
With a trip to his former club coming in around two weeks’ time, Farke will want to give his players the best chance at being on top of their game for that clash.
