Farke sends message to sacked Chelsea boss Rosenior as he makes confident Leeds FA Cup semi-final claim | OneFootball

Leeds manager Daniel Farke insists his side will travel to Wembley to take on Chelsea in good spirits and optimistic of making history, and has sent a lovely message to the sacked Liam Rosenior after he was removed from his position on Wednesday.

The Whites have made a strong fist of things on their return to the Premier League this season. Now on 40 points after 34 games and sitting nine clear of the drop zone and 18th-placed Tottenham, Leeds United are now through to a first FA Cup semi-final since 1987.

Standing in their way of a first appearance in the final since 1973 are old foes, Chelsea, who Leeds have taken four points from this season, having beaten the Blues at home and picked up a battling draw, 2-2, away in the Premier League this season.

Of course, Farke knows an FA Cup semi-final will represent an entirely different challenge, but he is well focused on the clash with the Blues.

Asked what he will be thinking when he walks down the tunnel at Wembley, Farke told a press conference: “I will be focused on making hopefully good decisions. We are used to playing teams of this calibre. We have stayed unbeaten against Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, and the games against Manchester City were tight.

“We are not the favourite for this game. But we are seven  games unbeaten, so we go with confidence.”

Farke added: “We won’t do anything special for this game. We will prepare like normal. There is enough time to recover [after the draw with Bournemouth] with four nights. There’s nothing to lose, just the possibility of winning.

“We go respectful of our opponents but with confidence. Leeds supporters will be there to cheer us up and support us, and it will be a special day.”

Farke insists he won’t do anything different with his players in the build-up, treating it like just another game.

“We won’t overload the players with special plans. We will stick to our DNA and be there with a compact performance, also to be brave and to play on the front foot and threaten the opponent’s goal.

“On the other side, against a team of these skilful players, you have to be ready to suffer as a unit, to go through tricky periods and show resilience, and if we do this, we also have a chance.”

Farke is aware of the chance to make history by leading Leeds into the final, and insists nerves will not be a factor.

“We have all heard about Eddie Gray and seen the old pictures. I trust my group and am not worried about nerves.

“We were always there with our best performances and results in big games. That’s no guarantee that we will do it again because we play a strong team with a strong squad, but I’m pretty sure my lads will leave everything on the pitch.”

Farke sends a warning message to Liam Rosenior

Leeds will be facing a third different Chelsea manager of the season following the decision by the Blues to axe Rosenior.

He had lasted a mere 106 days in charge despite signing a six-and-a-half-year deal to replace Enzo Maresca in January.

Details have emerged on Friday of the compensation payout the 41-year-old will receive from the Chelsea hierarchy.

That is obviously something Farke is not concerned about, though the Leeds manager has sent Rosenior a heartwarming and emotional message after he was fired and when asked if his removal as manager changes how the Whites will see the game.

On Rosenior getting sacked, Farke said: “I feel for a colleague, human being and promising young manager in Liam.

“Sometimes we forget that it’s just his second season in English football.

“I’m pretty sure he will have a big career, and I’m sure he will take this and grow, and I don’t want any manager to lose their job.

“But of course, it’s more difficult for us to prepare now.

“When some top-class players have no excuses, then it can be a really dangerous side, and so I expect that they will be back to their best and ready to prove that it’s a fresh start and prove what they are capable of with their best free-flowing attacking football.

“But this doesn’t take away from what we want to do against that. We have also played top sides who are in full flow, like Manchester United, and we were also there and able to get a result. So we know we can do it and that’s what we will try and do.”