The boss said the likes of Georginio Rutter, Daniel James and Crysencio Summerville need to learn to be more clinical in front of goal as they continue their development.
He did, however, confess that it is important for the players not to lose confidence in front of goal and that due to their age, this proves a stark reminder as to why they are not the finished article yet.
Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post [19 December], Farke shared: “The only thing that was missing was the clinical, brutal finish and it has a bit more to do perhaps with our youth in the offensive players, that players still having to step up a bit.
“We spoke before the season that end product is something players like Crysencio Summerville, Daniel James, Georginio Rutter could and need to improve a little bit. We have improved a lot but sometimes a game comes along that shows you’re not the finished product, still a work in progress.
“It’s always good to find balance, not to lose self-confidence in terms of finishing, because we’ve scored many fantastic goals, some team goals that were a bit like goal of the season.”
The difference between promotion and stagnation
Leeds’ goal this season has always been promotion, but if they are to ensure they go back up to the Premier League at the earliest possible opportunity, they will need to take their chances in front of goal when they fall their way.
Sometimes you can get away with being wasteful. With Leeds as attack-minded and forward-thinking as they are, they usually create enough chances to outscore their opponents even if they miss some of the opportunities in the game, but that can’t last all the time.
It’s the games like the one against an out-of-form Coventry side at home that Leeds must make sure they win. The top two are setting an almost unmatchable pace, which means they can’t afford to be dropping points in home games.
The way around this is to find that clinical edge to their game. With a number of young forwards, there are always likely to be inconsistencies, but Farke’s criticisms will hope to bring a new focus and help them to grow and develop in front of goal.
