Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has earned plaudits for securing Premier League survival for the Whites with games to spare and proving his detractors wrong.
There were calls to replace Farke before the start of last season despite his promotion to the Premier League due to his previous poor record in the top flight with Norwich City.
However, Farke defied expectations by turning Leeds into one of the Premier League’s hardest teams to beat, while also producing several eye-catching results, including a memorable victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The German decided to go against his habits and change formations midway through the season to revive Leeds in the Premier League. However, he is now considering another tactical switch ahead of the new campaign that could derail the team.
Daniel Farke is considering returning to a back-four
The Leeds manager’s decision to shift to a back-three in the second half at the Etihad against Manchester City in November changed the trajectory of Leeds’ season.
They were looking like relegation fodder before the tactical switch, and Leeds never looked back as they became one of the toughest sides to beat in the Premier League.
However, according to The Athletic, Farke is now seriously considering returning to a back four at the start of the 2026/27 Premier League season.
The Leeds manager has told new signing Harry Wilson is preference is to play a back four again and turn Leeds into a possession-based team that dominates the ball.
Farke is now expected to work on turning Leeds into a possession-heavy team over the course of the next few weeks in pre-season ahead of the new campaign.
His interest in signing a playmaker such as Julian Brandt suggests that the Leeds boss is keen to return to his old principles after doing whatever he needed to do to survive last season.
This could derail Leeds United even before the season starts
Daniel Farke’s decision to shift to a back-three last season was the catalyst behind turning Leeds into one of the most robust teams in the Premier League.
The switch gave Leeds greater defensive stability while also adding a new dimension in attack, with the adventurous wing-backs becoming a real threat in the final third.
Leeds became one of the hardest teams to break down in the Premier League, with their solid midfield providing the platform for the rest of the side to build from.
| 📋 Team Performance Metric | Before Switch (First 12 Games) |
After Switch (Post-Man City) |
|---|---|---|
| 📐 Main Tactical Formation | 4-3-3 / 4-2-3-1 | 3-5-2 / 3-4-2-1 |
| 📈 Points Accumulated | 11 | 42 |
| 📊 Points Per Game (PPG) | 0.92 | 1.62 |
| 🛡️ Goals Conceded Per Game | 1.92 | 1.15 |
| ⚽ Goals Scored Per Game | 1.08 | 1.54 |
| 🧤 Clean Sheets Registered | 1 | 9 |
| ⛓️ Longest Unbeaten Run | 2 matches | 7 matches |
| 🏜️ League Position Range | 18th – 20th | 11th – 14th |
If Farke decides to return to a back-four, it threatens to undo all the good work from last season and risks bringing instability to the backline again.
The Leeds players got used to playing in the system that worked brilliantly and secured them survival.
Farke may want to return to his old principles, but survival is still the aim for next season, and it’d be a huge gamble if he moves away from what worked last season.
More journalistic nonsense. Why would Farke scupper everything he worked on last season ? Why the hell would he put Wilson into a back 4 ffs ? Total rubbish imo.