Daniel Farke has been the most discussed topic at Leeds United this past week. The German has been in the news with reports that he could be sacked during this poor run of form.
Leeds have failed to win a game since the beat West Ham, and their streak continues. The loss to Manchester City this weekend was a painful one considering the circumstances; the Whites mounted a comeback but fell to a late goal in added time.
| Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Home | 1-1 Draw |
| Burnley | Away | 0-2 Win |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | Home | 3-0 Win |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Away | 1-0 Win |
| Sunderland | Home | 1-0 Loss |
Up next for Leeds is Chelsea on Wednesday night, with the Blues unbeaten in their last seven games in all competitions. Farke’s side will have to dig deep to pull out a result against Enzo Maresca’s side. And the game will be even more difficult after it has been confirmed that Dan James has been ruled out for months with a hamstring injury.
Daniel Farke hits back at Leeds United fans over team selection
Leeds fans have not been big supporters of Farke’s team selection this season. From making Dominic Calvert-Lewin the first choice starter to benching Pascal Struijk, the fanbase have voiced their opinions on every change. On Tuesday, Farke addressed the club’s fans, saying that his team selections are not meant to please them:
”I know how our supporters are. If someone delivers a top performance they get a standing ovation, don’t deliver then they are not happy.
”All depends on performance and workload, no one will punish a player because they just don’t like them.
”I don’t pick team favourites just to have a good mood with fans, always best team for each game.”
Leeds boss may have stumbled on solution last weekend
Speaking of team selections, Farke may have gotten his next blueprint from the Manchester City game. Down 2-0, he decided to bring on Jaka Bijol, shift to a back three and added Dominic Calvert-Lewin to Lukas Nmecha up top.
| Statistic | |
|---|---|
| Goals | 2 |
| Expected Goals | 1.44 |
| Big Chances | 3 |
| Shots | 7 |
| Shots on Target | 4 |
Leeds also decided to play fast and direct on the counter attack, launching balls into Nmecha and Calvert-Lewin who used their size to trouble the City backline. And for a large part of that second half, the Whites had a grip on the game. They got derailed when City keeper Donnarumma went down injured, delaying the game. After the match, Farek accused Pep Guardiola’s side of bending the rules – his team gathered for a team talk on the touchline during the injury break.
Not a lot of things have gone the Whites’ way this season, but if the second half performance is anything to go by, Farke can turn the season around.
