Leeds United entered the international break off the back of a draw against Newcastle United. Much has been made of Daniel Farke’s playing style since the Whites got promoted.
Many thought his style is too open for the Premier League, and the German was heavily criticized after the 5-0 loss against Arsenal. Outside that, the club have done really well for themselves – beating Everton and holding Eddie Howe’s Magpies to a draw. Three games played and two clean sheets in addition to four points from a possible nine. Not many newly promoted clubs can ask for a better start than that.
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Overall, Leeds have a progressive style of play, and can be seen when they have moved the ball very well against better opponents. But the issue seems to be putting the ball into the back of the net. The players have been very wasteful in front of goal.
QUIZ: Can you name the Leeds game these 10 goal celebrations are from?
Michael Cox analyzes Newcastle tactic in Leeds United game
Credit: Imago
When Newcastle visited Elland Road last week, it was a cagey affair. Both sides seemed evenly matched despite the gap in quality. It was game that deserved a stalemate after long periods of recycling possession.
One curious moment happened to start the second half, when Newcastle kicked off and booted the ball near Leeds’ corner flag. The Magpies then pressed the Whites from the resulting throw in and eventually won the ball back to start their attack. Michael Cox, who was covering the game for The Athletic, stated his dislike for the tactic overall:
“An overreaction? Maybe, but football’s laws have always evolved to ensure that technical, possession-based play is able to compete with teams based around physicality and territory. This is partly why it has become such an attractive, popular sport to watch.
“But if deliberately kicking the ball off the pitch becomes a regular attacking tactic, the game will have become dangerously close to rugby union, and some kind of reform will be required.” he wrote in his column.
Cox then put out a tweet calling Newcastle’s execution of the tactic ”’rugby nonsense”.
Sad to see ‘kicking for touch’ at kick-offs having a wave of popularity. Let’s get this rugby nonsense out of the beautiful game.https://t.co/MHfJsSHEoM
— Michael Cox (@Zonal_Marking) September 4, 2025
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