Daniel Farke has done a brilliant job of keeping Leeds United in the Premier League with games to spare, and deserves huge credit for defying expectations.
However, Farke’s side have not matched the brilliance of Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds team that finished in the top half of the Premier League in their first season back in the top flight.
While Farke’s side are known for their defensive solidity and how hard they are to play against, Bielsa’s Leeds scored goals galore and played a thrilling brand of football.
And it is not hard to see that Bielsa’s team would have qualified for Champions League football if they were playing in the current Premier League season.
Seriously, Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds would have qualified for the Champions League
Leeds could finish the season with 50 points if they beat West Ham at the London Stadium on the final day of the season.
They would be finishing nine points worse than the Bielsa team that played in the Premier League in the 2020/21 campaign, when they finished ninth in the standings.
However, that team would have probably qualified for the Champions League if they were playing in the 2025/26 Premier League season.
Bournemouth are set to finish sixth and could get to 59 points if they win their last game. If Aston Villa win the Europa League, the Cherries would qualify for the Champions League.
59 points could be good enough this season for a team to dine in Europe’s elite in the 2026/27 campaign.
Bielsa’s Leeds side performed at a higher standard in the Premier League, especially considering the overall quality of the division was stronger than it has been this season.
In the ongoing campaign, Leeds would have definitely qualified for European football, and probably would have played in the Champions League.
A lot is riding on the final day of the season
Leeds are safe but are now in a position to play a big role in deciding the third team that will go down to the Championship this season.
Tottenham’s failure to avoid defeat at Chelsea on Tuesday night means West Ham are still in with a chance of survival ahead of hosting Leeds at the London Stadium on Sunday.
The Hammers are the favourites ahead of the clash, and if they win, Tottenham cannot lose at home against Everton on Sunday.
Leeds have been urged to turn up against West Ham by Tottenham figures, but the Hammers now have extra motivation to get a result on the final day of the season.
What an absolute load of romantic tosh, full of ‘ifs, buts and speculation. What Marcelo Bielsa achieved at LUFC was remarkable and will stay long in the memory of the vast majority of Leeds fans, However, to say that his team would have qualified for the Champions League is pure fantasy.
Your comments also place question marks against the achievements of Daniel Farke and the current crop of players, who incidentally would have been far closer to your quoted 59 points had it not been for several outrageous refereeing decisions and performances.
Today is the time to celebrate what Daniel Farke and his players have achieved … and to hope that he continues be be our manager with the full backing of the ownership. THANK YOU DANIEL.