Neil Warnock makes ‘strong’ Leeds United promotion admission live on Sky Sports
Neil Warnock believes that Leeds United are “strong enough” to still finish in the automatic promotion places in the Championship this season, potentially ahead of Ipswich Town.
Daniel Farke’s side currently sit five points behind the Tractor Boys who are back in the top two with a 1-1 draw with Leicester City on Monday (22 January) thanks to a late equaliser from Jeremy Sarmiento.
While both Leicester and Ipswich have sat in the automatic promotion places for the majority of the season so far, Warnock believes that the second place is up for grabs and both Leeds and Southampton are good enough to claim it.
Speaking on Sky Sports Main Event on Monday (22 January) he said: “I think Leicester are going to be up there anyway, without a shadow of a doubt. They’ve got two teams that could be in the top half.
“The three teams that came down are all strong enough, Southampton, Leeds and Leicester. So Ipswich are punching above their weight a little bit. I think they have to try and enjoy it. They’re going to have to defend their lives tonight and put bodies on the line.”
Strong enough
The reality for Leeds United between now and the end of the season is that they need to win whenever they step on the field and hope that those teams in and around them continue to drop points in the coming weeks.
Farke’s team cannot rely on the teams above them slipping up to win promotion back to the Premier League. They have to focus on getting on a winning run themselves to ensure that they have the best chance of finishing in the Championship’s top two.
On their day, Leeds are capable of beating anybody that they have to face, but their issue this season has been their lack of consistency. Between now and the end of the campaign, Farke has to find a way to maintain that high-level week in and week out.
Hopefully, Warnock’s faith hasn’t been misguided and Leeds will demonstrate their strength over the remainder of the season. If they perform to their best, they have every chance of pipping Ipswich.
In other Leeds United news, Wilfried Gnonto will stay at Elland Road beyond the January window after a new update emerged at Elland Road
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