Press news in....

Daniel Farke addresses the media ahead of Sheffield United v Norwich City (Saturday 3pm KO). Updates to come from 1.30pm.

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DF: I will definitely shake hands with Chris Wilder. We trust the specialists on coronavirus and don't want to panic too much. It's probably the right decision to not shake hands before kick-off, even though everyone probably will afterwards.

DF: It would be disappointing to play behind closed doors, because football without fans isn't the stage we want, but if we have to accept such a decision we will. Games without fans are horrible for football.

DF: The last game was a perfect example of how much fun and joy football can spread over the whole community. We wrote a piece of history, getting to the quarter-finals for the first time in 28 years. Football makes people happy and lets them celebrate together. It's about the unity and togetherness.

DF: Back to back wins are even better for the mood, especially against Leicester and Tottenham. It was a dramatic penalty shootout, so we will go with this spirit into the crunch period of the season. We're in a difficult position and it will be a long road to stay in the Premier League, but we'll try everything.

DF: If you come close to 40 points in general it is enough, so we will try to do this.

DF: We go into every game to attack and win. We don't look too far ahead because we just want to fight for three points in the next game.

DF: Tettey and Pukki are much improved. Alex was involved in the last game and was alright. Teemu looks much better and they're both okay.

DF: Christoph Zimmermann returned to the training pitch yesterday. We have to see how his body reacts, but he could be involved tomorrow. There's a chance for him to return.

DF: Timm Klose has returned to team training. Next week we will see how his body adapts to the load but he looks alright and it's good to have him in the dressing room. He's an experienced lad and full of spirit who is excited to be back.

DF: Perhaps after the next international break, he could be in contention to be picked for one of the games.

DF: We allowed Ralf to be in talks with other clubs because he's desperate to play, but no news at the moment. Stuart Webber is in touch with him.

DF: We're realistic and know we're bottom of the league. We have to earn the right to play here next season, so we're not carried away. I don't want to stop the feelgood factor we have, but I don't see any danger of us being over confident or losing the ground beneath our feet.

DF: I'm full of respect for what Sheffield United and Chris Wilder have done. They do an outstanding job, but you can't compare them with us because we have a different approach and philosophy.

DF: They were already solid in defending last season and Chris has stuck to those players. I'm not jealous but he's a bit lucky they have always been available. He's stuck with the same back three and wing backs, so they're used to playing with each other.

DF: We've played them several times over recent years and they more or less play the same approach, but they know what we want to do. They know us perhaps better than any other coach on this level. Each game is close and it's always difficult.

DF: Sheffield United had a game in the week so it doesn't affect this weekend that much. Our game against Manchester United will be an amazing game for the club. We know there are bigger achievements in football than just the quarter-finals. We want to go to Wembley.

DF: Buendia's injury was just cramp. He played two games in quick succession so it was a lot for him. We'll go in a good mood to Sheffield.

DF: We're experienced at being switched on after important games from last season because we had midweek games, so we're used to it. I'm not concerned about the load. The biggest problem was the travel.

DF: It's important to calm the nerves down and concentrate on recovery. Everything is ok and we'll travel in a good mood.

DF: I don't see Josip and Teemu as competitors. It's not important to me who scores. Adam Idah had good movement and created space for his teammates.

DF: Josip can always create something and score. He has the natural instinct. We speak about a bicycle kick in the top corner, or Jamal's goal against Leicester. I would nominate Josip's for a prize because 30 times you make that run and don't get the ball, but it's important to be there for the one moment. You need to be switched on.

DF: Josip has a natural born goalscorer instinct that you can't learn. I'm happy to have him and he's different to Teemu in his strengths.

DF: No other human being recovers quicker than a striker who scores goals. Sometimes you have periods where you keep scoring and it's not a problem. Adam is good on the wing and had a decent impact, so it's good to have all my strikers available.

DF: Success is no coincidence. Even when the odds are against you there's no reason to give up. We will keep going and try to make something extraordinary.

DF: It would be easy to celebrate our mental strength and our attitude, but sometimes you can have that and still lose a shootout. I didn't ask who wanted to take a penalty, I judged and decided.

DF: The last games that Tom, Mario and Marco played we were quite successful. It's more about the team performance and they played their part.

DF: Adam used his chance. Because of his pace he can shine on the wings. Onel is injured and to have a slightly different profile changed the balance of the game.

DF: It wasn't love on the first view with Chris Wilder, but sometimes after that the biggest love develops! We're both full of respect. There's no book on how to be successful in football. We have quite a good relationship and we're quite often in touch with complimentary text messages.

DF: We are greedy, not needy.

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That's all from the boss this afternoon! Thank-you for following today's live blog.

Posted By: DrDublin on March 6th 2020 at 14:13:48

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