‘Control Him’ – Leeds United Boss Sees Key Sunderland Threat | OneFootball

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Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has highlighted the challenges his side will encounter at Elland Road tonight – match preview here – stressing that Sunderland’s threat goes well beyond captain Granit Xhaka, though the Swiss must be controlled.

Sunderland started the season well, reaching as high as fourth in the Premier League table in November, with Richard Keys describing their side as “fantastic.”

The Stadium of Light has proven a challenging venue for visitors, with the Black Cats suffering only two home defeats all season, the first a 1-0 loss to Liverpool in mid-February, marking the longest home unbeaten run in the Premier League.

The team have been effective with off-the-ball pressing and quick counter-attacks, while also making the most of set pieces, scoring seven of their 29 league goals from such situations, with Xhaka often involved in distribution.

The Swiss international had been sidelined since January with an ankle injury, missing four matches, three of which Sunderland lost, and his return to the starting lineup at the weekend against Bournemouth helped the team secure a hard-earned 1-1 draw at the Vitality Stadium.

Farke emphasised that careful preparation is needed when facing the Black Cats, highlighting the importance of managing both individual threats and the team’s overall strengths, particularly by containing key players like Xhaka, whose experience and quality can significantly influence the game.

The German tactician also noted that Sunderland pose multiple threats beyond any single player, with dangerous counter-attacks, pace and set-piece proficiency.

To succeed, Farke explained, Leeds must stay sharply organised the moment they lose the ball, neutralise Sunderland’s attacking threats and orchestrate precise possession play to carve out chances against a stubbornly compact side.

Farke said at a press conference (27:55): “Always, it’s always like you prepare for key players of the opponent, in general of the set-up, and of course Granit, with his experience and quality, a key player also for them, so it’s important that we control him and control his running of the game and that he can influence the game a lot.

“But they have more threats than just Granit, anyhow, with all respect.

“And so it’s important that we control also the whole strength of this Sunderland game.

“They are very, very dangerous on the counter-attack, so we have to make sure that in the moment once we lose the ball, we have a good organisation on the control, on the counters.

“So they have strength in terms of set pieces and also pace in the game, so we have to control all of this.

“And on the other hand, it’s not easy to open them and create chances against them because they’re a really, really compact side, and for that we need to find good processes in possession in order to create chances, and this is all we have to do in order to be successful.”

A former Leeds United star has suggested that Sunderland’s recent dip in form, having won just one of their last five games, makes it an ideal opportunity for the Whites to face them at Elland Road.

The Elland Road side sit 15th in the standings with 31 points, six points clear of West Ham United in 18th place.