Daniel Farke Critiques Leeds United’s Penalty Mindset Despite Praising Performance at Cardiff City

Leeds’ performance in front of goal was the main concern for their manager after they squandered several clear opportunities, including a penalty, during a comfortable but uninspired victory in Wales.

 

The Whites began to assert their dominance early on, with Joel Bagan receiving a straight red card just 23 minutes into the match.

 

It wasn’t until the half-hour mark that Largie Ramazani scored the opener, capitalizing on a header from Pascal Struijk and a flick from Mateo Joseph to net a well-placed shot on his full debut.

 

Despite their numerical advantage, Leeds struggled to capitalize on it.

 

Ramazani nearly added a second goal after being set up by Willy Gnonto, but the second half was particularly frustrating for the visitors.

 

The away fans expressed their displeasure with some backward passing rather than pushing for a decisive goal.

Joel Piroe, a substitute, finally sealed the victory in the 87th minute with his usual composure during a counter-attack, despite Struijk having missed a penalty earlier.

 

Farke acknowledged Leeds’ overall control of the game and the vital three points, noting that they now have seven points from their last nine away matches in the league without conceding.

 

However, he pointed out their need to improve their finishing, saying, “The only criticism is not converting our chances.

 

If you’re only 1-0 up, a set-piece or long ball can change everything. We should have scored more goals; this is something we need to work on.”

 

He specifically addressed the mentality of his players in the final third, especially as Struijk prepared for the penalty awarded for a foul by Jayden Bogle.

 

Farke was frustrated with how the team reacted when the penalty was saved, as they failed to anticipate the rebound.

 

“There were moments even in the second half where my players—who are quite young—seemed to celebrate instead of focusing.

 

I allow them this freedom, but we missed many chances.

 

The mentality needs to change. Offensive players must approach it like a door-to-door salesman—expect to make 40 calls to sell one vacuum.

 

They need to chase every rebound, even if it seems pointless. We need a greater desire to score goals.

 

As a former striker, I would have done anything to score.”

 

Farke emphasized the need for his players to learn this mentality, particularly referencing Joel Piroe, who has been clinical in front of goal.

 

“He’s probably the best finisher in the league—one chance, one goal.

 

We need to adopt his attitude.

 

It’s hard to criticize when we play well, but we can’t just revel in our dominance; we must convert that into more goals.

 

I love our ability to control the game, but I want us to be hungrier. If we want to celebrate in May, we need to work harder to score.”

 

After a previous defeat to Burnley, Farke faced criticism for his team’s style of play and lack of entertainment.

 

Concerns about Leeds’ ability to break down compact defenses resurfaced, but Farke insisted that this victory was not a reaction to such criticism.

 

“This isn’t a response to criticism; we’ve played like this before.

 

Defensively, we’ve performed well, with four clean sheets in our last five games and just one goal conceded from an unfortunate slip.

 

We’ve created numerous chances, and today we managed to convert two into goals, although we could have done better.”

 

He acknowledged that the team, filled with young talent, is still developing. “We’re not the finished product, and we must accept that.

 

Three points are invaluable for building confidence and belief.”

 

Regarding penalties, Farke noted Piroe’s impressive record and expressed trust in him for future opportunities. “He has a great track record; we’ll see how it goes in the next game.

 

His record stands at nine out of ten, which is solid. If Piroe is on the pitch, he’s usually our main penalty taker.”