Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has seen off a threat to his job by turning his team’s fortunes around in the last couple of weeks. However, one of his recent victims is now set to land a huge Premier League role.
Just a few weeks back, Farke was being tipped to get sacked as Leeds lurched from one disastrous result to another in a run of six defeats in seven Premier League games.
However, the Leeds manager’s decision to switch to a 5-3-2 in the second half against Manchester City flicked a switch, and the team have not looked back since then.
Leeds humbled Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea side 3-1 at Elland Road in the next game, with very little possession, and then scored draws against Liverpool and Brentford.
Enzo Maresca got schooled by Leeds United manager Daniel Farke, but is now tipped to replace Pep Guardiola at Manchester City
Maresca’s Chelsea side were soundly beaten by Leeds at Elland Road a couple of weeks back. The home side had very little of the ball, but were a constant threat to the Blues.
The Italian got Chelsea back to the Champions League last season, and his team are fourth in the Premier League at this stage of the season.
| Matches Managed | 89 |
|---|---|
| Wins | 55 |
| Draws | 14 |
| Losses | 20 |
| Goals Scored | 186 |
| Goals Conceded | 92 |
| Points Total | 179 |
| Points Per Match | 2.01 |
However, he gets criticised for some of his team selections and his side’s inconsistency, which has seen them lose to teams such as Sunderland and Leeds.
But Maresca remains highly-rated as a coach, and according to The Athletic, he is now one of the favourites to succeed Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
The Spanish coach has not made a final decision, but it is increasingly likely that he will leave Manchester City at the end of the ongoing season.
Manchester City have started the process of identifying his replacement, and Maresca is high on the club’s shortlist to succeed their most successful manager.
The 45-year-old has a contract until 2029 with Chelsea, and Manchester City would have to pay the Blues a steep compensation to take the Italian to the Etihad.
Daniel Farke is good enough to keep Leeds in the Premier League
Daniel Farke was battling questions over his future at the end of last season despite taking Leeds back to the Premier League by scoring 100 points in the Championship.
His record at Norwich City was used as a stick to beat him with. Many felt he would be on a shorter leash in the Premier League due to the 49ers’ huge ambition.
However, Farke managed to emerge from a horrible run of results, and his tactical decisions in the last few weeks show that he is a manager who has learned from his mistakes.
He shocked Pep Guardiola with his tactical shift and comfortably beat Maresca’s Chelsea. Arne Slot’s Liverpool had no answer to Leeds’ ability to come back into games.
Leeds should have beaten Keith Andrews’ Brentford away from home last weekend on the back of a brilliant second-half performance. Oliver Glasner is wary of taking his Crystal Palace team to Elland Road this weekend.
In the last few weeks, Farke has taken on some of the best tactical minds in the Premier League and has gone toe-to-toe with them.
Leeds are getting paid for keeping their nerve and backing Farke when the going got tough earlier in the season.
