Daniel Farke is aware that he and his Leeds United team are under pressure after a run of one win in six. The Whites appear to be squandering their chances of getting automatic promotion from an advantageous position. The Leeds boss will face questions if they collapse for the second year running, and he has been warned that patience is running thin with the 49ers.
Leeds are preparing for a trip to Riverside Stadium on Tuesday night to take on an in-form Middlesbrough side who have won four of their last six Championship games.
It will be a big challenge given the home side’s current form and Leeds’ struggles. However, Daniel Farke needs his players to rise to the occasion and produce a performance under real pressure.
The Leeds manager has been bullish about his team playing in the Premier League next season, and gave a more positive spin to the 1-1 draw at Luton Town on Saturday.
However, Farke has been warned that he could be running out of time at Elland Road.
I don’t see how Daniel Farke survives if Leeds do not get promoted – Pundit
Mick Brown, who worked for both Sunderland and Aston Villa during promotion seasons, conceded that Farke will get sacked if Leeds do not get promoted.
He insisted the 49ers expect a return on investment through promotion to the Premier League, and the manager was given a second crack after last season’s failure.
Brown insisted Leeds have the best team in the Championship, but stressed that that it is not always enough to get promoted and the Whites appear to have fallen off a cliff in recent weeks.
“If they don’t go up, he will be sacked,” he told Football Insider.
“They’ve spent a lot of money on this team and they expect to get promoted, especially after they missed out at the end of last season, and will not accept anything less.
“Often, that expectation can add to the pressure, but he has to make sure he delivers.
“They’ve got the best team and the best players in the Championship.
“Whether they win it or not is a different argument altogether, but that is what they want to do.
“It’s not always as simple as ‘our players are better, so we’ll win the league’, everybody knows that.
“Their form of late has been shocking, and they’ve dropped like a stone. If they can’t bounce back, they’ll have to go through the playoffs, and we all know how Leeds do there.
“But like I say, I don’t see any way he keeps his job if they don’t get promoted.”
Farke is running out of excuses
Even the Leeds manager is aware that it would be his head on a pike if the Whites do not get promoted to the Premier League this season.
Leeds have the highest wage bill in the Championship, and are widely regarded as the best team in the division over the likes of Burnley and Sheffield United.
The Whites suffered a similar fate last year when their form fell off the cliff towards the end of the season, and they lost the Championship final to Southampton.
Can you name these past and present Leeds United players?
Leeds are desperate not to drop into the playoffs, but if their form remains the same, it seems the fans are in for another emotional rigmarole at the end of the campaign.
Farke would run out of excuses and people to blame if Leeds are again in the Championship next season.
