Daniel Farke reveals key part of Leeds United plan for dramatic last week of Championship

The performance on Friday night at Queens Park Rangers was such that it went beyond any suggestion that the Whites had forgotten who they were, and strayed into territory more questioning of whether they ever were that team who everyone raved about, the one the Championship grew to fear. It was night and day from the gutsy comeback that did for Leicester City, or the swamping of Swansea in goals. It was not, in any shape or form, the performance of a team with 90 points already to their name in a yet-to-be-completed season.

When asked if he would consider sending his players away to clear their minds of the 4-0 beating by QPR, Farke insisted this was not the right time for that kind of response. "There is no reward for a poor performance," he said. "Sometimes it's good to clear the head but tomorrow [Saturday] we need to speak about this. It would be wrong to send a young group away without analysing the game and giving messages. It's important to be in tomorrow, to speak about the game and a proper training session for those who didn't have much load."

Farke went on to add that there would be no sense in dwelling on Friday's capitulation, not with something still to play for in terms of an automatic promotion hope that will only return to Leeds' hands thanks to what would be somewhat surprising results elsewhere. Regardless of what becomes of Ipswich Town as they step up to the plate this week, even if the play-offs open their terrifying arms for Leeds, Farke's squad needs to try and finish on any kind of positive note at Elland Road against Southampton to take some momentum and confidence into the post-season knockout round.

Key to that, in Farke's mind, is allowing his players to recall what it is they achieved prior to the ill-fated Loftus Road trip. The 11 wins in 15 games between mid-September and early December. The 13 wins from 15 games between New Year's Day and April 1. The wins over Leicester, the defensive record, the avalanche of goals spread around between the forwards - all notable achievements. Even returning to the automatic promotion conversation, after the transfer-related difficulties that mired the start to the season, is worth revisiting if Farke wants to pump up their tyres once again.

"We will be in, they will have a day off then we start the new week with new energy and refreshed and remind ourselves of what we've done over the course of the 44 game days," he said, on Friday night. By Monday, Leeds' inquest into that defeat should have been done and dusted and the only thing they can afford to look back on now is that which will help them to move forward once again.