Leeds United boss Daniel Farke said a few months ago that the narrative changes with the result at Elland Road. And that is exactly what has happened after the Whites picked up a huge win in midweek.
There were noises for Farke to be sacked after losing to Aston Villa and Manchester City. And even before the Chelsea game on Wednesday night, there were reports that he could be sacked after the game. Leeds did pull off a huge win at Elland Road, beating the Blues 3-1 with goals from Jaka Bijol, Ao Tanaka and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Those three points have definitely lifted the spirit around the club as they prepare to face Liverpool this weekend.
Daniel Farke pulls plug on Leeds United transfer search
Leeds United definitely also have an eye on the January transfer window considering their current predicament. The Whites are just two points above the relegation zone. If they can make it to the transfer window, they will definitely be in search of reinforcements. Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider has reported that the Whites are no longer focused on adding a striker after the performances of Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin in recent games:
“Leeds, I’m not sure how much money they will have to spend in the January window.
“They spent quite a bit in the summer on new arrivals as well.
“They are looking for attacking reinforcements, probably a wide forward is at the top of their list.
“Now they’ve stumbled upon this winning formation of playing two up top with Calvert-Lewin and Nemecha, after they had success against Chelsea.
“It’s obviously working for them right now as well. So maybe that might push their need for a new striker down the pecking order as well.”
Farke’s switch is paying off
When the Leeds boss decided to make changes 2-0 down at half-time at the Etihad, fans were stunned. But it paid off as the duo of Nmecha and Calvert-Lewin kept City’s backline on their toes. They used their height and physicality to cause problems in-behind and scored two goals from that threat.
| Statistic | Dominic Calvert-Lewin | Lukas Nmecha |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 2 | 1 |
| Expected Goals | 1.51 | 1.47 |
| Shots | 4 | 5 |
| Duels Won | 17 | 9 |
Against Chelsea on Wednesday night, the front two once again made their mark hassling defenders. Calvert-Lewin was eventually rewarded with a goal capitalizing on a defensive error. Blues boss Enzo Maresca was surprised at how good the Whites were on and off the ball on Wednesday night.
