Leeds United and Daniel Farke were unlucky to leave the Etihad Stadium empty-handed on Saturday. However, it was still their sixth defeat in seven and their fourth straight loss in the Premier League.
Farke’s future at Leeds was under the scanner ahead of the trip to the Etihad, and at half-time it seemed almost certain that the German was on his way out of the club.
However, a second-half fight-back and a close 3-2 defeat have allowed the Leeds manager to gain some of the support back. However, his future at the club remains in jeopardy as the Whites are still in the relegation zone.
The Leeds owners are now mulling over Farke’s future while looking at potential replacements. It remains to be seen whether a solid second-half performance would be enough to keep him at Elland Road.
Leeds United are facing a key deadline to make Daniel Farke decision
Last week, there was furious speculation around the future of Farke at Leeds following his side’s shambolic home defeat against Aston Villa.
Leeds decided against providing any vote of confidence to Farke, and Brendan Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou are said to be the top contenders to replace him at Elland Road.
The Whites are said to have decided that Farke would be sacked if Leeds do not get points against Manchester City and Chelsea.
Leeds made Manchester City sweat at the Etihad on Saturday, but didn’t get anything. They are set to host Chelsea at Elland Road on Wednesday night.
The Blues are in good form and recently beat Barcelona in the Champions League. However, Leeds at home are always going to be a competitive team.
But it remains to be seen whether the Manchester City performance holds any importance if the Whites suffer another home defeat on Wednesday night.
The 49ers have a tough decision to make. Leeds face the real possibility of returning to the Championship after just one season in the Premier League.
Was the Manchester City performance too late for Farke?
Farke is often accused of being too late to make changes and of his lack of flexibility. However, on Saturday, he made two changes at half-time to change the game and shift his tactics.
Leeds played 5-3-2 in the second half, and Pep Guardiola did concede that his Manchester City side needed some time to adjust to Farke’s changes.
However, there is no guarantee that the Leeds manager will move away from his favoured 4-3-3, and his familiar conservatism, even though his team looked at their best when they were getting at Manchester City on Saturday.
In fact, Leeds conceded the late winner because they reverted to type and sat back, which did very little for them in the first half.
The real test will take place on Wednesday, and fans will be eager to check whether the manager has learned from his mistakes against Manchester City.
Farke’s record in the Premier League remains horrendous, and one good half should not be the full reason for the 49ers to keep him.
| Matches | 62 |
|---|---|
| Wins | 9 |
| Draws | 10 |
| Losses | 43 |
| Goals For | 44 |
| Goals Against | 126 |
| Points | 37 |
| Points per Match (PPM) | 0.60 |
They will want more evidence against Chelsea to suggest that the German could still take Leeds out of trouble in the Premier League this season.
