Former Leeds United manager Simon Grayson has jokingly set a bold target for head coach Daniel Farke after the dramatic comeback against Liverpool.
Daniel Farke was under pressure heading into a challenging week. However, four points and three creditable performances later, the noise around his position has diminished somewhat.
The win also helped lift Leeds out of the relegation places after 15 Premier League games, although it did not help their survival chances according to Opta, with Leeds still predicted to go down.
However, speaking after Ao Tanaka secured a thrilling draw with Liverpool, former Leeds boss Simon Grayson has challenged the Whites to make a push for Europe after a successful week.
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Simon Grayson issues European challenge to Leeds United
Speaking to LUTV after Leeds’ six-goal draw against Liverpool, Grayson was asked what now represents a good season for Farke’s side.
According to Grayson, Leeds’ strong team spirit means that they could be confident of challenging any team in the division.
Asked what Leeds can take from their draw with Liverpool, Grayson joked: “Getting into Europe is going to be easy, isn’t it? I am joking, by the way.
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Before adding: “Look at the club, there’s this resilience, there’s a spirit about it, right? Not just from the players, but from the manager and the people above and everybody connected with the club.
“There’s a togetherness, which has carried on from last year, to be fair, from the disappointment of the Southampton playoff game to promotion last year.
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“We’ve just got to stick together, ride the difficult times, don’t get too high when we’re winning games, don’t get too low when we’re getting beaten by other teams in the Premier League.
“Because it’s a ruthless league and it’s a difficult league, but go there with confidence and belief and see where it takes us. Enjoyment is a big thing.”
How likely are Leeds United to qualify for Europe?
Although Grayson had his tongue firmly in his cheek when suggesting that Leeds could qualify for Europe, Opta do believe that Farke’s side retain a very thin chance of breaking into Europe.
With 23 games left of the Premier League season, Leeds are just 10 points behind Chelsea in fifth place, which is not a mathematically insurmountable gap.
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However, according to Opta’s predictions, Leeds have just a 0.01% chance of qualifying for the Champions League and a 0.02% chance of qualifying for the Europa League.
While technically not impossible, it would appear that Farke’s focus should remain firmly on keeping Leeds in the top flight for the time being.
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