Daniel Farke did a very good job at Norwich City, that is a fact. Two promotions from the Championship was no accident, and you could see how well organised his Norwich teams were. When Leeds appointed Farke I was pleased, but apprehensive. The only thing I wasn’t sure of was how Farke would cope at a massive club like Leeds where the weight of expectation is a genuine pressure that can quickly become a burden.
I remember discussing Farke’s appointment with Elland, and having watched his Moenchengladbach team stumble to another mid-table finish, I had just one doubt. Can Farke cope at a big club with big expectations? BMG are one of the biggest clubs in Germany, and Farke was brought in to push them up into the Bundesliga top six. They had spent quite a bit over the previous two seasons as the invested to improve their squad, and the belief was there that the team was now just in need of a good manager to organise them and unlock the potential for BMG to become a Champions League regular.
It didn’t happen. In fact, BMG went absolutely nowhere under Farke. As a consequence, he was relieved of his duties and BMG decided to look elsewhere for a manager who could take them forward. Why did this happen? After all, Farke looked like the perfect fit for BMG, and the club looked set to kick on under him and climb into the top ten where Farke would then establish them as challengers for the European spots.
I am going to break this discussion down into three points: BMG failure, Leeds poor start and finally the off-field issues currently sucking the life out of Leeds.
BMG
Here's the thing about Farke’s success at Norwich. It wasn’t expected and it wasn’t demanded. In fact, if he guided Norwich to seventh place in the Championship every season, it would have been regarded as a success.
This lack of expectation and pressure to succeed is very helpful to a progressive manager. All he needs to focus on is preparation, organisation and ensuring his players all understand how his system works. He can then push them to go out and win every game, safe in the knowledge that any blips won’t bring their world crashing down around them.
The Norwich players responded, playing with freedom and chucking the kitchen sink at teams as they stormed to two promotions. No pressure, no drama.
BMG was a very different experience though. Farke was expected to improve the team and they were expected to win more games and climb into the top ten and challenge for Europe. This was a job where Farke and the players were under no illusions, the club expected them to improve and win.
Suddenly losses to teams below them would not be tolerated, and games became more difficult as teams smothered BMG and hit them on the counter. Now being 0-0 at half-time at home caused grumbles, and players became frustrated as results became harder to come by.
In this environment of expectation and desire to be a top Bundesliga club again, Farke couldn’t improve the team’s fortunes and lost his job. It was a surprise that Farke failed so miserably because BMG was set up perfectly for him. A club with progressive owners who were willing to invest in the squad and focused on getting BMG back to the sharp end of the Bundesliga. Farke’s failure to convert this environment into improvement gave me cause for concern. A much bigger job than Norwich that he couldn’t crack.
LEEDS POOR START
No point in trying to gloss over it, Leeds have made a poor start to the season. Behind against both Cardiff and Shrewsbury, and unable to even get a draw at Birmingham is not the way you’d expect Leeds to have started the season. I have a theory why it’s been sluggish.
Farke is playing with two holding midfielders (DMs) who sit in front of the back four offering an extra layer of protection. His full-backs are encouraged to get forward to help build attacks down the flanks, and he has an attacking midfielder (10) playing close behind the striker (9). This has created problems for Leeds that I’ve seen in every game.
Two DMs: Amapadu and Gray both look to be very comfortable on the ball, a good thing if you want to build attacks playing out from the back. The thing is, Leeds don’t need to be playing with two DMs. It’s a negative tactic, and sets the team up to be more difficult to beat rather than more attacking. With Gray and Ampadu almost always starting with possession deep inside their own half, it creates a big distance from them to the forwards.
Leeds have found it difficult to join up play and create proper chances, relying on the wide men to come up with some magic to get an effort on goal. The easy fix would be to leave Ampadu as the only DM in the pivot role occupied so well by Kalvin Phillips. This would release Gray to play further forward in the Klich role and be available to be the link between defence and attack.
The other problem with two DMs is it robs Leeds of an extra body getting forward and occupying defenders. Currently Leeds just don’t have late runners getting into the box and running beyond the defensive line, so it becomes easier to defend with all the play in front of the defence meaning they can keep their shape and break up attacks to then counter.
Now, on the counter is where Leeds have really struggled. With tow deeper DMs Leeds concede a lot of real estate in midfield that opponents can easily run into and use to play out and relieve any pressure. This allows opponents to get midfield runners to attack our CBs and arrive late in the penalty area.
The Leeds flanks are also continuing to be easily exposed as teams drag the FBs inside to allow their FBs to gallop into space down the wings. Take Cardiff’s first goal when Ayling got dragged inside high up the pitch, allowing O’Dowda an ocean of space to run unchallenged all the way to the Leeds box where his pull back was converted by midfielder Bowler, a late runner into the box. Too easy.
This happened because Cardiff planned on Ayling being higher up the pitch and the Leeds winger not tracking O’Dowda’s run. A very simple but effect plan.
At Birmingham the same happened, with their FBs constantly running beyond their wide men to create overlaps. It was only their lack of quality in attack that spared Leeds.
Farke’s set up at Birmingham was baffling. Playing Shackleton wide right and Poveda in the 10 role made no sense. It unbalanced the team and produced very little threat going forward. Shackleton was clearly there to help cover Ayling when the ball got turned over, but even this didn’t really work. Buchanan made a number of dangerous runs from left-back and put Leeds under pressure.
I don’t understand why Farke wouldn’t rather stick Poveda out wide and let him run at Buchanan all day, not only helping to create pressure on the Birmingham defence but also to keep Buchanan back deep and limiting his chances to get forward as the out ball.
Farke needs to think about dumping the two DMs and letting Gray move up the pitch into the 8 role. It will allow Leeds to be more attacking and also stop opponents from playing out so easily. Let’s go for wins rather than trying not to lose first. It all feels a bit Marsch/Gracia with the two DMs. ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK!!
OFF-FIELD ISSUES
This is where I think Farke has his biggest problem. Tactics can be tweaked and formations can be changed, but vibes and culture are a different thing altogether. Farke hasn’t solved this conundrum yet.
The pressure of managing Leeds, a club EXPECTED to win promotion this season, is a very different beast to the calm of Norwich City. The pressure and expectation at Leeds doesn’t just come from the club, but from the entire footballing world. Leeds are regarded as one of the big clubs, and everyone thinks they should be a top ten Premier League club.
Paul Merson weighed in on Farke’s appointment on Sky, claiming that he felt Leeds was too big a club and job for Farke. Now, you don’t hear pundits commenting like this on Huddersfield, Norwich or Blackburn managerial appointments. That’s because they’re not held in the same regard as Leeds United. No doubt Farke would have heard Merson’s rant, and surely that would have driven home how big and sharp the spotlight is that’s following his every move is.
Farke doesn’t seem to be coping very well with the pressure right now. He started off trying to temper expectations by saying that people shouldn’t e concerned if Leeds get off to a slow start, in fact, expect a slow start while he gets the team organised and familiar with his playing and management style. Say what? Bielsa took just six weeks to turn a runny pudding into a glorious cake. Sorry, Daniel, not having that! This is Leeds, you come here to win or get out of the way. We know what’s possible, don’t ask us to wait for results to come.
Then Farke started to whine about contracts, and release clauses, and loan deals. He knew exactly what the situation was coming into Leeds, so he can’t now moan about it. If he simply said that players leaving because of relegation clauses wasn’t helpful, then fine. But he didn’t.
Farke decided to start attacking players’ loyalty, claiming that any player with release clauses were mercenaries who weren’t committed to their clubs. In essence, he immediately pointed a finger at the likes of Wober, Adams, Harrison and any other player with a release clause. Not very good leadership skills.
He went further by stating that he would never allow the club to sign players who wanted a release clause inserted into their contracts. He wanted the club to hold all the power over the player, and to be in complete control of transfer negotiations. That’s a nice thought Daniel, if you’re an established Premier League club with little threat of relegation.
This no clause stance will not have gone unnoticed in the football world, and I guarantee you that a very large chunk of potential transfer targets have suddenly written Leeds United off as a destination right now. The comments from Farke, and his continued moaning about contracts, has been utterly ignorant at best. He’s alienating players at the club, and also driving away potential new signings.
The fact that the likes of Sinisterra and Gnonto are now looking to leave has nothing to do with Leeds United the club, but almost certainly everything to do with not wanting to play for Farke. His public berating of players saying they can go train on their own and play in the U21s for a season will not sit well in the dressing room. Players form close friendships and bonds, and most importantly they value talent in the squad. Maybe he’s misunderstood “Side Before Self” and taken it literally. It’s not looking very clever.
Farke’s negative comments may have sparked joy amongst the fan base, and it certainly has been well received by the social media trolls, but it’s only result has been to create a toxic atmosphere and driven a wedge between fans and players. This is definitely not the way to build a promotion campaign, but a fast track to losing the dressing room, regardless of the “we’re all together and fighting” rhetoric. The team didn’t look very together and fighting on Saturday.
Leeds have talent in abundance, we know that. Farke’s system and divisive leadership is not creating a platform for the talent to shine and produce results. The vibe at Leeds is getting more and more negative and toxic each day, and Farke has been a major cause of this.
The time has come for him to shut up about contracts and transfers, and to focus on the players and the football. Let the transfer market take us where it may, and get on with the fkn job of getting Leeds promoted. I desperately want Farke to succeed and shut up the doubters.
Farke has the ability to create something special at Leeds. The question is, will his implosion continue or will he step up and do his job properly without all the bluster and condemnations? Side before self isn’t a stand-alone approach to winning, it’s the final piece of the jigsaw. Solve the puzzle first, Daniel.
I remember discussing Farke’s appointment with Elland, and having watched his Moenchengladbach team stumble to another mid-table finish, I had just one doubt. Can Farke cope at a big club with big expectations? BMG are one of the biggest clubs in Germany, and Farke was brought in to push them up into the Bundesliga top six. They had spent quite a bit over the previous two seasons as the invested to improve their squad, and the belief was there that the team was now just in need of a good manager to organise them and unlock the potential for BMG to become a Champions League regular.
It didn’t happen. In fact, BMG went absolutely nowhere under Farke. As a consequence, he was relieved of his duties and BMG decided to look elsewhere for a manager who could take them forward. Why did this happen? After all, Farke looked like the perfect fit for BMG, and the club looked set to kick on under him and climb into the top ten where Farke would then establish them as challengers for the European spots.
I am going to break this discussion down into three points: BMG failure, Leeds poor start and finally the off-field issues currently sucking the life out of Leeds.
BMG
Here's the thing about Farke’s success at Norwich. It wasn’t expected and it wasn’t demanded. In fact, if he guided Norwich to seventh place in the Championship every season, it would have been regarded as a success.
This lack of expectation and pressure to succeed is very helpful to a progressive manager. All he needs to focus on is preparation, organisation and ensuring his players all understand how his system works. He can then push them to go out and win every game, safe in the knowledge that any blips won’t bring their world crashing down around them.
The Norwich players responded, playing with freedom and chucking the kitchen sink at teams as they stormed to two promotions. No pressure, no drama.
BMG was a very different experience though. Farke was expected to improve the team and they were expected to win more games and climb into the top ten and challenge for Europe. This was a job where Farke and the players were under no illusions, the club expected them to improve and win.
Suddenly losses to teams below them would not be tolerated, and games became more difficult as teams smothered BMG and hit them on the counter. Now being 0-0 at half-time at home caused grumbles, and players became frustrated as results became harder to come by.
In this environment of expectation and desire to be a top Bundesliga club again, Farke couldn’t improve the team’s fortunes and lost his job. It was a surprise that Farke failed so miserably because BMG was set up perfectly for him. A club with progressive owners who were willing to invest in the squad and focused on getting BMG back to the sharp end of the Bundesliga. Farke’s failure to convert this environment into improvement gave me cause for concern. A much bigger job than Norwich that he couldn’t crack.
LEEDS POOR START
No point in trying to gloss over it, Leeds have made a poor start to the season. Behind against both Cardiff and Shrewsbury, and unable to even get a draw at Birmingham is not the way you’d expect Leeds to have started the season. I have a theory why it’s been sluggish.
Farke is playing with two holding midfielders (DMs) who sit in front of the back four offering an extra layer of protection. His full-backs are encouraged to get forward to help build attacks down the flanks, and he has an attacking midfielder (10) playing close behind the striker (9). This has created problems for Leeds that I’ve seen in every game.
Two DMs: Amapadu and Gray both look to be very comfortable on the ball, a good thing if you want to build attacks playing out from the back. The thing is, Leeds don’t need to be playing with two DMs. It’s a negative tactic, and sets the team up to be more difficult to beat rather than more attacking. With Gray and Ampadu almost always starting with possession deep inside their own half, it creates a big distance from them to the forwards.
Leeds have found it difficult to join up play and create proper chances, relying on the wide men to come up with some magic to get an effort on goal. The easy fix would be to leave Ampadu as the only DM in the pivot role occupied so well by Kalvin Phillips. This would release Gray to play further forward in the Klich role and be available to be the link between defence and attack.
The other problem with two DMs is it robs Leeds of an extra body getting forward and occupying defenders. Currently Leeds just don’t have late runners getting into the box and running beyond the defensive line, so it becomes easier to defend with all the play in front of the defence meaning they can keep their shape and break up attacks to then counter.
Now, on the counter is where Leeds have really struggled. With tow deeper DMs Leeds concede a lot of real estate in midfield that opponents can easily run into and use to play out and relieve any pressure. This allows opponents to get midfield runners to attack our CBs and arrive late in the penalty area.
The Leeds flanks are also continuing to be easily exposed as teams drag the FBs inside to allow their FBs to gallop into space down the wings. Take Cardiff’s first goal when Ayling got dragged inside high up the pitch, allowing O’Dowda an ocean of space to run unchallenged all the way to the Leeds box where his pull back was converted by midfielder Bowler, a late runner into the box. Too easy.
This happened because Cardiff planned on Ayling being higher up the pitch and the Leeds winger not tracking O’Dowda’s run. A very simple but effect plan.
At Birmingham the same happened, with their FBs constantly running beyond their wide men to create overlaps. It was only their lack of quality in attack that spared Leeds.
Farke’s set up at Birmingham was baffling. Playing Shackleton wide right and Poveda in the 10 role made no sense. It unbalanced the team and produced very little threat going forward. Shackleton was clearly there to help cover Ayling when the ball got turned over, but even this didn’t really work. Buchanan made a number of dangerous runs from left-back and put Leeds under pressure.
I don’t understand why Farke wouldn’t rather stick Poveda out wide and let him run at Buchanan all day, not only helping to create pressure on the Birmingham defence but also to keep Buchanan back deep and limiting his chances to get forward as the out ball.
Farke needs to think about dumping the two DMs and letting Gray move up the pitch into the 8 role. It will allow Leeds to be more attacking and also stop opponents from playing out so easily. Let’s go for wins rather than trying not to lose first. It all feels a bit Marsch/Gracia with the two DMs. ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK!!
OFF-FIELD ISSUES
This is where I think Farke has his biggest problem. Tactics can be tweaked and formations can be changed, but vibes and culture are a different thing altogether. Farke hasn’t solved this conundrum yet.
The pressure of managing Leeds, a club EXPECTED to win promotion this season, is a very different beast to the calm of Norwich City. The pressure and expectation at Leeds doesn’t just come from the club, but from the entire footballing world. Leeds are regarded as one of the big clubs, and everyone thinks they should be a top ten Premier League club.
Paul Merson weighed in on Farke’s appointment on Sky, claiming that he felt Leeds was too big a club and job for Farke. Now, you don’t hear pundits commenting like this on Huddersfield, Norwich or Blackburn managerial appointments. That’s because they’re not held in the same regard as Leeds United. No doubt Farke would have heard Merson’s rant, and surely that would have driven home how big and sharp the spotlight is that’s following his every move is.
Farke doesn’t seem to be coping very well with the pressure right now. He started off trying to temper expectations by saying that people shouldn’t e concerned if Leeds get off to a slow start, in fact, expect a slow start while he gets the team organised and familiar with his playing and management style. Say what? Bielsa took just six weeks to turn a runny pudding into a glorious cake. Sorry, Daniel, not having that! This is Leeds, you come here to win or get out of the way. We know what’s possible, don’t ask us to wait for results to come.
Then Farke started to whine about contracts, and release clauses, and loan deals. He knew exactly what the situation was coming into Leeds, so he can’t now moan about it. If he simply said that players leaving because of relegation clauses wasn’t helpful, then fine. But he didn’t.
Farke decided to start attacking players’ loyalty, claiming that any player with release clauses were mercenaries who weren’t committed to their clubs. In essence, he immediately pointed a finger at the likes of Wober, Adams, Harrison and any other player with a release clause. Not very good leadership skills.
He went further by stating that he would never allow the club to sign players who wanted a release clause inserted into their contracts. He wanted the club to hold all the power over the player, and to be in complete control of transfer negotiations. That’s a nice thought Daniel, if you’re an established Premier League club with little threat of relegation.
This no clause stance will not have gone unnoticed in the football world, and I guarantee you that a very large chunk of potential transfer targets have suddenly written Leeds United off as a destination right now. The comments from Farke, and his continued moaning about contracts, has been utterly ignorant at best. He’s alienating players at the club, and also driving away potential new signings.
The fact that the likes of Sinisterra and Gnonto are now looking to leave has nothing to do with Leeds United the club, but almost certainly everything to do with not wanting to play for Farke. His public berating of players saying they can go train on their own and play in the U21s for a season will not sit well in the dressing room. Players form close friendships and bonds, and most importantly they value talent in the squad. Maybe he’s misunderstood “Side Before Self” and taken it literally. It’s not looking very clever.
Farke’s negative comments may have sparked joy amongst the fan base, and it certainly has been well received by the social media trolls, but it’s only result has been to create a toxic atmosphere and driven a wedge between fans and players. This is definitely not the way to build a promotion campaign, but a fast track to losing the dressing room, regardless of the “we’re all together and fighting” rhetoric. The team didn’t look very together and fighting on Saturday.
Leeds have talent in abundance, we know that. Farke’s system and divisive leadership is not creating a platform for the talent to shine and produce results. The vibe at Leeds is getting more and more negative and toxic each day, and Farke has been a major cause of this.
The time has come for him to shut up about contracts and transfers, and to focus on the players and the football. Let the transfer market take us where it may, and get on with the fkn job of getting Leeds promoted. I desperately want Farke to succeed and shut up the doubters.
Farke has the ability to create something special at Leeds. The question is, will his implosion continue or will he step up and do his job properly without all the bluster and condemnations? Side before self isn’t a stand-alone approach to winning, it’s the final piece of the jigsaw. Solve the puzzle first, Daniel.
