Leeds United manager Daniel Farke is under pressure after his side’s poor 3-0 defeat against Brighton at the Amex Stadium on Saturday. However, the manager may wield the axe on one of his big summer signings after an incident at the weekend.
The pitiful performance at the Amex Stadium on Saturday has exposed some familiar and unfamiliar failings of the Leeds team, which was brutally taken advantage of by Brighton.
Leeds once again proved they lack the creativity, finesse, and finishing quality needed to consistently break down strong Premier League opponents.
Their defence also came under fire after an inept performance, which made it too easy for Brighton. However, an incident in the first half showed that Farke could be losing patience with one of his major summer signings.
Daniel Farke lost his patience with Leeds United star at Brighton
Leeds produced a frustratingly poor performance against Brighton on Saturday. It lacked any imagination or steel as the home side romped to a comfortable home win.
The defensive showing was concerning, and Farke could be forced into making another change to his back-four when they travel to Nottingham Forest next weekend.
However, the attack continued to flounder, and while Dominic Calvert-Lewin again attracted all the bad headlines, Noah Okafor produced another poor performance on the wings.
The Swiss winger’s penchant for losing the ball again came to the fore, and even Farke got frustrated by what he saw from the Leeds star on Saturday.
According to the Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth, the Leeds boss showed his displeasure towards the winger in the first half.
He wrote: “Daniel Farke getting frustrated with Noah Okafor and his movement, having also had words with Gabriel Gudmundsson on that topic early in the first half.”
Okafor could lose his place if things don’t improve
The Swiss winger has looked Leeds’ most incisive attacking threat with his dribbling and ability to take on his man. However, there are parts of his game that can be counterproductive.
In his full Premier League debut in the 1-0 defeat at Fulham, Okafor did look Leeds’ best attacking threat. However, he lost the ball 14 times, often in his own half, which created problems for the team.
At this level, losing the ball in your own half will get punished, and Brighton had the Leeds defence under pressure for almost the full 90 minutes on Saturday.
| Passing & Distribution Metrics | |
|---|---|
**Crosses (Accurate)** |
6 (0) |
**Accurate Passes** |
8/14 (**57%**) |
**Passes in Opposition Half (Acc.)** |
8/19 (**42%**) |
**Long Balls (Accurate)** |
2/3 (**67%**) |
Farke lost his patience with Okafor for his inability to hold on to the ball and allow the Leeds midfield and defence some breathing space from the constant Brighton attacks.
| Possession & Ball Control | |
|---|---|
**Total Touches** |
41 |
**Unsuccessful Touches** |
3 |
**Dribbles (Successful)** |
8 (**5**) |
**Was Fouled** |
1 |
**Possession Lost** |
19 |
Okafor continued to lose possession and give away the ball cheaply, which annoyed the Leeds manager and allowed Brighton to keep the pressure on their opponents.
With Wilfried Gnonto on his way back to fitness and Dan James available, Farke may soon have the option to drop the winger back to the bench.
