Leeds United boss Daniel Farke admits 'risky' selection changes led to Carabao Cup exit
Leeds United manager Daniel Farke admitted his decision to make eight changes from the team that played the opening game at the weekend backfired as the Whites were dumped out of the Carabao Cup at the first round stage by Middlesbrough.
Against a Boro side that also made a high number of changes it was the visitors' fringe players who performed better in a 3-0 win that did not flatter them.
After an even first half Leeds were torn apart after the break as the defence and midfield were pulled all over the place and the attack was too predictable.
Only Ethan Ampadu in midfield, Junior Firpo at left-back and Joe Rodon at centre-back kept their place from the 3-3 draw with Portsmouth and the players who came in completely failed to make a case that they should be in the starting line-up.
Whites boss Farke held his hands up afterwards and took the blame for the cup exit.
He said: "I risked a little bit this game with having eight or nine rotations. I was of course hoping that we still find a way in order to be successful.
“I'm responsible that we won't win the Carabao Cup this season. I take it on the chin and the reason we lost was that we changed so much.
“Of course, we would like to show a better performance, especially in the home game and a better outcome.
“The first 25 minutes in the second half were not great and everyone has the right right now to be critical and to be disappointed. So are we. But everyone knows that's normally not us.
“We're normally pretty, pretty good at defending, with the most clean sheets last season, we had a brilliant pre-season without conceding.
"We know in order to grind out results, we have to make sure we concede less and we are more rock solid than we were today, especially in this 25 minutes. We know this and we are capable to do this."
What it did show Farke was that he has not got as much in reserve as he may have thought and with prospects still of star men Georginio Rutter and Willy Gnonto leaving before the end of the transfer window he is facing his biggest problems since coming to Elland Road.
On paper the side he selected looked strong enough with all of them having plenty of experience at this level or higher.
But on the pitch the completely changed front four lacked pace and directness or were simply rusty and the backline went to pieces in the face of some swift breaks from Middlesbrough in the second half.
Leeds made a decent start and could have been ahead in the third minute as Firpo got in behind the Boro defence only to see his shot saved by Sol Brynn's feet.
In a thrilling start Delano Burgzorg's clever dummy took him clear, but his angled shot was saved by home keeper Karl Darlow. The resulting corner was headed wide by Anfernee Dijksteel.
Sam Byram sent a header wide at the other end from a well delivered Joe Rothwell free-kick.
The game then settled down into more a stalemate, although Aidan Morris did see his shot from the edge of box well saved by Darlow and Alex Gilbert was found in space in the box only to put his shot wide.
The closest United went was when Patrick Bamford raced clear only be unlucky to be flagged offside in the tightest of decisions.
A slow start to the second half turned into an alarming period for Leeds as they were cut open almost at will.
Boro opened the scoring when Dijksteel picked the ball up near the touchline 45 yards out, brushed past Brenden Aaronson and was allowed to charge into the area without a tackle being made. He then easily got round Joe Rodon to plant the ball into the net.
Within a minute Burgzorg was on the end of another drive by Dijksteel but saw his shot saved by Darlow then blazed the rebound wide.
It was 2-0 when Burgzorg was sent clean through a gaping gap in the home defence and was able to take a few touches before shooting past Darlow.
It was Isaiah Jones' turn to go clean through a minute later, but he sent his chip wide.
Farke responded by making five substitutions and taking off three of his starting backline. But it did not prevent the Whites from quickly going three down as Josh Coburn was left with a tap-in after Jones' cross deflected into his path.
The visitors could have added more goals before the final whistle while Leeds' attack did improve with Gnonto and Rutter on.
Joel Piroe saw his goalbound shot well blocked on the line by Matt Clarke and in the last 10 minutes Rutter hit the post with a great strike from the edge of box. The rebound fell to Piroe, but he headed wide with the goal gaping.
In added time Ilia Gruev sent a free-kick wide and United's night was summed up by the last action of the game when Bamford wildly swung at a volley and sent the ball high, wide and not so handsome.
Middlesbrough 3
(Dijksteel 50, Burgzorg 60, Coburn 67)
Wednesday, August 14, 2024
Carabao Cup, round one
Attendance: 35,150
Leeds: Darlow; Byram (Bogle 63), Rodon, Wober (Struijk 63), Firpo (Gnonto 63); Ampadu, Rothwell; Gelhardt (Rutter 63), Piroe, Aaronson (Gruev 63); Bamford.
Middlesbrough: Brynn; Dijksteel, Howson (Ayling 56), Clarke, Engel (McCormick 70); Barlaser, Morris; Jones (Hamilton 81), Gilbert, Burgzorg (Azaz 70); Coburn (Latte Lath 81).
Referee: Anthony Backhouse