Daniel Farke and Leeds United need to keep their cool in the Lions Den to change unwanted Gary Rowett stat
Football is full of little quirks and oddities and it transpires Leeds United boss Daniel Farke is not free of that fact.
Farke, as we all know, has two Championship promotions to his name with his previous club Norwich City, a feat that the Whites’ hierarchy was naturally drawn to when bringing the German to Elland Road.
It stands to reason then, that Farke would have a pretty decent record against most Championship managers.
But the man standing in the opposite dugout this Sunday (17 September) when Leeds make the trip to face Millwall is a man who Farke is yet to get the better of.
From five matches faced against Gary Rowett, across his spells at Derby County, Stoke City, and Millwall, Farke is yet to emerge victorious against him (Yorkshire Evening Post, 13 September).
It’s not as if Farke has been on the end of hiding when they’ve gone to head. His two losses have ended in single-goal defeats, while the other three encounters have finished in a draw.
One fixture in February 2018, between Farke’s then Norwich City and Rowett’s Derby did see a flashpoint that may serve as a warning.
Rowett was unhappy with what he considered a dive from now-England international James Maddison, and Farke ended up in a bit of a verbal battle with his counterpart on the touchline.
Since then, the two have actually been pretty complimentary about one another, but Farke will know the importance of keeping his cool in the, if you’ll forgive the pun, Lions Den.
Millwall is a notoriously difficult place to go. Leeds themselves need no reminder, their last six visits there have failed to yield a victory, with their last triumph at The Den coming in March 2012 when Ross McCormack scored the winner.
Since being relegated, Leeds have been patchy in the Championship, registering one win, one defeat, and three draws and headed into the international break on the back of a frustrating goalless draw in the Yorkshire derby against Sheffield Wednesday.
Having had a good amount of time to work with his players on the training pitch, Farke will want to see Leeds really start to kick on now. But both he and his players will need to keep their cool in what is sure to be a heated environment.
In other Leeds United news, Farke has shared an injury update on Dan James ahead of the Millwall game.