Leeds United and Daniel Farke will be confident of beating an out-of-form Oxford United side on Saturday when the latter visit Elland Road. The Whites have won nine of their eleven home league games this season while Oxford have lost five of their last six in the Championship. The two teams are enjoying contrasting fortunes but something happened today that could still have a bearing on the result on Saturday.
Oxford sacked Des Buckingham following a poor run of form and confirmed the appointment of Gary Rowett as their new manager earlier this afternoon.
The 50-year-old is an experienced manager at the Championship level and previously handled teams such as Birmingham City, Derby County, Stoke City and Millwall.
Oxford are worried about sliding into relegation from the Championship and have brought in Rowett to arrest their decline and start getting them away from the drop zone in the coming weeks and months.
The new Oxford United coach will not be in the dugout on Saturday and that is good news for Leeds United; not just because of denying their opponents a new manager bounce.
The record of Daniel Farke against Rowett is not great
Oxford United will be a tougher opponent for Leeds than they would have previously anticipated as the dismissal of a manager always produces a reaction from the players.
However, Farke is likely to be delighted that he would not have to face Rowett in the dugout at Elland Road on Saturday as the new Oxford Unired boss has a good personal record against the current Leeds manager.
Farke has won just one game against Rowett, which was the 3-0 win against Millwall last season. Other than that, his record against him is nothing to write home about.
Rowett has beaten Farke twice in his managerial career, drawing on three other occasions, all during the German’s time at Carrow Road as Norwich City manager.
The 50-year-old also has a decent personal record against Leeds United, winning three times against the Whites and will hope that his assistants, Craig Short and Chris Hackett, can mastermind a shock result at Elland Road on Saturday.
He won’t be in the dugout at Elland Road tomorrow but we could still see some of his effect on the pitch. Rowett is almost certain to provide some tactical guidance to the team and will definitely give a pre-match team talk.
Whether that will have an impact on the result only time will tell but the Rowett effect will be felt on the Oxford United side tomorrow.
Leeds United should be beating Oxford United regardless of Rowett
Leeds and Daniel Farke must be strutting to this game due to the imperious home form they have enjoyed this season. They have won nine of their eleven games at Elland Road, scoring 25 times and conceding just six goals.
Leeds players should feel a few inches taller when they go out on Elland Road and must ensure they impose themselves on the Oxford United side.
Yes, they have a new manager, albeit only in the stands tomorrow, but they are the same team who have lost five of their last six and are barely above the relegation zone at the moment.
Leeds have dominated teams at home this season and their only defeat at Elland Road came against a Burnley side who are also in the promotion race.
The Whites should be swatting aside a team such as Oxford United and the presence of Rowett in the stands should not really matter to the Leeds players.
They should trust their process and their style of play and look to overwhelm an Oxford United side who are short on confidence and could collapse if the home side exert early pressure on them.
Anything other than a comfortable win for Leeds should be a shock as there exists a vast difference in the quality of both teams.
Leeds should produce a kind of win that exposes the task at hand to the onlooking new manager and what he would have to do to ensure Oxford United do not end up in the bottom three of the Championship this season.
