Leeds United manager Daniel Farke was under serious pressure going into the last few games. However, he has emerged in a much stronger position.
Farke seemed almost certain to get sacked when Leeds went into the break 2-0 down against Manchester City last weekend and were staring down another defeat.
However, the Leeds manager changed his system and played two up front in the second half, and the Whites have not looked back since then.
Manchester City needed a late winner from Phil Foden to earn all three points, and Leeds beat Chelsea 3-1 at home on Wednesday and played out a thrilling 3-3 draw at home against Liverpool on Saturday.
Leeds United told to make a Daniel Farke decision
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville is certain that the rumours of Farke being on the brink will now go away after the last two results.
He conceded that Leeds may have been planning to replace him. But stressed that they must decide to cancel those plans as Farke is looking strong at the moment.
The ex-defender lavished praise on the Leeds manager for the way he turned things around for Leeds in the last few days.
“I don’t know how much attention we can pay to the rumours of the manager being close to the edge”, Neville said on Sky Sports.
“That will have pulled him right back. If you’re in the boardroom, you’re thinking, okay, let’s just hang back.
“If you had plans, you may have to cancel them. That might not be the case, but there was a lot of noise and a lot of rumours. Well done to Daniel Farke, because he’s played a big part in it.”
A change in formation and results
The change in formation has turned the season around for Leeds. They are looking far more of an attacking threat and are putting good teams under pressure.
| Formation | 4-3-3 | 3-5-2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes played | 1,035 | 135 | 1,170 |
| Goals scored | 11 | 5 | 16 |
| Minutes per goal | 94.09 | 27.00 | 73.13 |
While Leeds were struggling to score goals in the old 4-3-3, the 5-3-2 had led to a flood of goals, with Calvert-Lewin benefiting the most from the change.
Leeds have looked like a completely different attacking team in the last three games. The strikers are enjoying playing together, and the defence and midfield are keeping them solid at the back.
The Whites have scored eight goals in the last three games and have put some of the best teams in the league under pressure.
Farke will be confident that Leeds can now get results on the road with Brentford set to welcome them next weekend.
