Leeds United is still in second place in the Championship, but Ipswich Town only needs to pick up five of the final nine points to secure a spot in the Premier League come August.
Daniel Farke will continue to put pressure on Leeds United to place in the top two of the Championship until it is mathematically impossible. Farke refused to accept their play-off fate even after Friday’s 4-0 thrashing at Queens Park Rangers, despite the manager acknowledging that nerves have been an issue in the camp over the past week.
With two games left against the Whites, Ipswich Town needs just five of their remaining nine points to secure a spot in the Premier League come August. Although Friday’s loss was by far the lowest point of the entire season, United’s chances of being promoted have been all but destroyed after two wins from seven games over the past month.
With a one-point lead over the Tractor Boys based on identical games played, United’s fate in the top two was entirely in their hands heading into the most recent international break. A win at Loftus Road would have extended United’s lead to four points, but if Ipswich wins their next two, they will advance on their own.
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Farke remarked, “I would have loved to remove the pressure of having already been promoted after today.” Since it’s no longer in our control, it would be much better.
“Let’s be upfront about this. The competition is still ongoing. Though Leicester [City] deserves to be congratulated on their promotion, nothing is finished for them in comparison to Suffolk.
“We have a lot to play for on the final gameday, so this is what we will definitely do if they don’t win the next two games. If they do, I’m the first to go out and say ‘congratulations, well done, you deserve it.'” Since gameday one, we have been in the chasing role, and one thing is certain—we won’t give up until the task is, theoretically, completed.
The team led by Kieran McKenna will play Huddersfield Town on the last day of the season, who may already be relegated by then. Naturally, Leeds will play Southampton in fourth place on Saturday. If, for some reason, Ipswich manages to win just one of their next six games against Hull City and Coventry City, Leeds will have reclaimed control of their destiny.
Even though Farke did not concede that his team could no longer finish in the top two, he did concede that the play-offs appeared to be a more likely outcome for them. However, as Friday demonstrated, this league can occasionally be insane, in his words.
He said, “I mentioned earlier that there are two bullets.” “The play-offs are the second route, and automatic promotion is the first. We have the second bullet, which is currently maybe even a little more realistic to discuss. We must use this as well, but I won’t give up as long as we have a chance.
We’re playing too much for that considering we have 90 points after 45 gamedays in a really strong season. Once more, this league can be crazy at times, so we try our best to plan as much as we can, even if it means putting ourselves in position 46 on the final gameday.
“We focus on the first bullet first, and if this is not feasible for us, we move on to the second.”
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