Some might say this is a given – but just look around the Premier League and it quickly becomes clear it isn’t
Noah Okafor has explained how settled he feels in the Leeds United squad(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
It always helps when you like your co-workers. Time and again, sources outline how this Leeds United squad is not just talented and driven but also top characters in themselves.
The ‘no idiots’ rule – to watershed the famous All Blacks phrase – is a theme that runs through the recruitment philosophy and also marries in with the club’s own ‘side before self’ mantra. It is also one that Daniel Farke is a big fan of.
So much does he value cohesion and squad unity that he puts it above buying an extra player if he is unsure about what impact he will have on the current players. As recently as Friday, with Leeds recovering from their FA Cup semi-final defeat to beat Burnley, Farke made such a point.
“I’m pretty picky and careful who I bring in, and I wanted a group that is so tied together,” said the manager. “Because we won’t win one point on Premier League level just by individual quality. We need a top mentality. We always have to go physically over the line.”
Ensuring you have motivated players is one thing but creating an environment in which they can thrive is another. Noah Okafor has six goals in seven Premier League games and last month spoke about the belief Farke has instilled in him.
“I am like a player who needs loads of confidence to perform. And this I felt from the first day when I arrived in Leeds, from the coach,” he said.
“He gave me confidence. When I do good things, he tells me straight. When I have to improve, he tells me also. So I feel really confident from him. That is what I need to be the best version of myself.”
Okafor shares an embrace with Farke(Image: George Wood/Getty Images)
But Farke cannot, and does not want to, be a minder for his players. An example of this is how he doesn’t bar his players from looking at other results in the table, even in the insistence that he himself does not take much value from how rivals fare.
Farke said: “Of course, they’re allowed to have a look – everything’s OK. [We] also do some jokes about it. You have to deal with it very relaxed, but we also are mature and experienced enough that it makes no difference, because you can’t influence any other result.”
All of this feeds into the environment curated by Farke. Reporters who were granted access to training in pre-season saw first-hand how Farke is not afraid to level the banter at his players, who in turn also give it out to colleagues.
You could say this is normal at any club, especially one that has just won the Championship title. But, clearly, this mood has been sustained throughout the whole season. A number of players have spoken about the in-squad camaraderie and Okafor is the most recent example.
Talking to BBC Radio Leeds after Friday’s 3-1 win over Burnley, the Swiss winger said: “The target was to help the team as much as I can. Stay fit and healthy and play. Each and every thing that I expected went true.
“So I’m really happy about that – but I’m more happy about the atmosphere. It is like a family for me. Things like this, I smile every day and I have to keep going like this.”
Perhaps this has not been spoken about enough by the wider media. Unity can sometimes be passed off as something as a given, but the reality is that this is not the case.
Look at Mohamed Salah’s tunnel tirade at Elland Road. Chelsea’s players speaking out about other clubs and downing tools under Liam Rosenior. Jorgen Strand Larsen jumping ship at Wolves.
Nottingham Forest players failing to throw their weight behind Sean Dyche in a meeting with owner Evangelos Marinakis. Tottenham Hotspur, until recently, looking anything but unified. It is not a given.
And as Anton Stach said last week, Farke should “take some credit”. This togetherness between players is one of United’s biggest, and most overlooked, strengths.
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