QPR v Leeds United: Whites seek to settle another old 'score' and provide themselves with a psychologically important moment in Championship run-in
IT was one of the most evocative images of the Marcelo Bielsa era at Leeds United.
Sat on his haunches in a corridor of the old South Africa Road stand at Queens Park Rangers’ home, the footballing Svengali resembled a tortured soul after his side’s 1-0 reverse in West London back in February 2019.
He spoke of his "obligation" to "overcome the sadness" after that painful defeat on a night when Leeds spurned the chance in their game in hand to move to pole position in the second-tier table.
That’s what the Championship can do to you sometimes. It is no respecter of reputations and beats up the best.
Daniel Farke can vouch for that.
Plenty of unpredictable events can still happen in the latest top-two battle that Farke is involved in between now and mid-afternoon on May 3 and no doubt will.
Leeds end one of those sorts of rollercoaster run-in weeks which the Championship is renowned for at Loftus Road before filling their tanks for their final few laps following the final international break of 2024-25. Hopefully, four-star will be in the engine.
There will be plenty of football to be played after this weekend’s programme is concluded when Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United exit the Hillsborough stage after Steel City hostilities on Sunday afternoon, but for Leeds, a victory in the capital would carry a fair amount of psychological weight heading into the hiatus.
They have lost on their last four visits out west in all competitions, headlined by a 4-0 evisceration last April. All told, Leeds have won just twice in their last 10 appointments there.
In the present season, there is hope as they try and settle an old score or two.
Last month, Leeds remedied a tough late-season result at Coventry in 2023-24 with a statement performance and produced a remorseless seven-goal display on home soil against Cardiff, who had previously inflicted some punishing blows at Elland Road going back to the Eighties.
An away win against the R’s would also provide karma and also start ameliorating another ugly statistic. Namely the club's record in early kick-offs.
In their past 13 fixtures staged before 1.30pm, Leeds have won just twice and lost on five occasions, the most recent being at Portsmouth last Sunday.
For Farke, his main selection call surrounds the engine room and whether to give Joe Rothwell the nod again with a 60-hour turnaround from Wednesday's game with Millwall, having started him ahead of Ilia Greuv.
The Bulgarian midfielder has been preferred to Rothwell in recent away games and seems to be Farke's first choice. With QPR having issues there with key duo Sam Field and Jonathan Varane missing earlier this week and Ilias Chair looking unlikely to feature after coming off with hamstring trouble on Tuesday, could Farke shun ‘playing safe’?
He said: "At the moment, we have to manage all our midfielders carefully.
"In the two years before he (Rothwell) joined us, he hardly started a game on this level and hardly 90 minutes. Ilia is an ever-consistent player for us, but was out with a long-term injury over four months.
"During this period, we have to manage their load. Of course in the home games, where we dominate games and it’s a bit easier, then you are tempted a bit more to bring a player who is really good on the ball, in possession and driving our game forward like Joe.
"And when you sometimes face the wind in your face in away games when there are more transition moments, you also need to add a bit more defensive awareness and sprinting back and good strength in defensive duels and covered distances, you prefer go more for a player like Ilia. It's all about the whole balance of the team.”
After Saturday, Leeds’ international brigade will head to their countries, while the others will be afforded some rest and recuperation time ahead of the run home.
For Farke, the period will be used wisely and for the likes of Patrick Bamford and Max Wober especially, it is a particularly important period in their rehabilitation.
It is also key for Ethan Ampadu, with Farke hopeful his captain will be back in team training following the break.
He added: "In terms of getting Bamford and Wober the two weeks of training, it will be beneficial.
"I hope the lads are involved in international games. Sadly the days for Sir Alex (Ferguson) to phone and resist sending players is over.”