Leeds United sit third in the Championship table and are one of the favourites to win automatic promotion back to the Premier League. Daniel Farke is hoping that his side do not suffer the same fate as last season when they just missed out on the top two and lost the playoff final against Southampton.
The club continued to place their faith in Daniel Farke at the end of last season despite their playoff final heartbreak and felt that he remained their best bet for promotion.
The German rebuilt the squad in the summer after losing several players and the club are prepared to make more money available to him in January if he wants to bring in fresher faces in the winter window.
Leeds sit on the exact same number of points after 18 matches as this time 12 months ago and again, they look as though they will be in an automatic promotion fight until the very end.
However, Leeds’ defeat at Blackburn led to some simmering discontent about Farke and his style of football, especially away from home since last season.
Farke would be glad to be back at Elland Road to face Derby this weekend as his side have won nine more points at home than on the road despite playing the same number of games.
Leeds have lost ten of their 32 away games under Farke’s charge and their record away from home is amongst the worst for the top teams in the Championship.
Some people are now starting to question whether Farke’s tactics need to evolve to make Leeds better on the road as they would need every point in a tight automatic promotion race this season.
Pundit insists Daniel Farke is always letting down the Leeds United away support
Former Championship star Sam Parkin has conceded that Leeds United struggling away from home has become too regular a sight for the supporters on the road.
He insisted that Farke’s tactics lack flexibility on the road and pointed out that Leeds’ away record reads poorly when compared to other teams in the promotion race.
Parkin pointed out that Leeds often look clueless on the road when they concede the first goal and 1-0 defeat on the road has become too familiar a sight.
“Leeds fans are continually let down away from home with a similar type of performance. It is absolutely broken record time here but Adrian [Clarke] and I have been saying for so long, that he doesn’t change things quickly enough”, he said on the What The EFL Podcast.
“He is not flexible enough with his tactical set-up and his substitutions away from home. This is in keeping with last season, the worst away record in the top four last season, and the second worst in the top seven now.
“The statistics don’t read terribly, but you have got to remember this is Leeds with their power, support and squad at this level. 10 defeats in his 32 away games since he’s been at Leeds, six of those 1-0. It’s a recurring theme, and there’s clearly an issue when they don’t score first.
“There’s no issue when they score first, but when they concede first it’s a big issue to win games, it’s only happened once in six this season. I think the supporters are growing a little frustrated at the lack of changes, in terms of the shape of the team, to ask more questions of an opposition sitting deep.”
Leeds United’s away woes could get worse if they do not improve soon
The Blackburn result must serve as a red herring for Leeds as they will need to improve if they have to ensure that their away form doesn’t tank their season further.
Leed will hope to beat Derby County and Middlesbrough in the next two home games but four of their next seven games will be away from home.
Preston will be a tricky game at Deepdale as they are a tough side to beat and Leeds will face Stoke City, Derby County and Hull City on the road during the festive period.
If Leeds do not improve their form away from home, their promotion hopes could get severely dented by the time 2025 rolls out.
