Daniel Farke must have watched West Ham suffer a tame 2-0 defeat against Brentford at the London Stadium on Monday night. It further lurched their season into crisis, but the result also piled the pressure on Leeds United and their manager ahead of the two teams meeting at Elland Road on Friday night.
Leeds are still dealing with the ramifications of a poor performance in their 2-0 defeat against relegation rivals Burnley on Saturday. It exposed the frailties in the team as Scott Parker’s side scored a big win at home, while the Whites suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League.
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There are question marks over the team’s ability to score goals, and the Leeds manager has also come under fire for showing blind loyalty towards certain players, regardless of their performances.
However, Farke could be facing some huge questions over his future at Elland Road, if Leeds fail to beat West Ham at Elland Road on Friday night, given the Hammers’ current run of form in the Premier League.
Daniel Farke under pressure after Monday night’s result for West Ham
West Ham’s season sank deeper on Monday night after they were beaten 2-0 at home by Brentford. They sit 19th in the league table, just two points above bottom placed Wolves after eight league games.
They are in desperate need of a result ahead of travelling to Yorkshire to take on Leeds on Friday night, but even the home side are under some pressure.
With one win in seven and back-to-back league defeats, Leeds need a performance at home this week and even a draw against West Ham could be seen as a poor result.
The Hammers have been woeful this season and were thoroughly outplayed by a Brentford side who have not made a great start to the season themselves.
Leeds will start the game as overwhelming favourites and are expected to beat West Ham at Elland Road on Friday night.
A draw may not be acceptable and a defeat could really lurch Leeds into crisis with Farke facing the prospect of losing his job this early in the season.
While this could be the best time to face West Ham, Monday night’s result has piled the pressure on Leeds and Farke to get a win on Friday night at Elland Road.
Farke must usher in the changes
The feeling around Leeds has changed after back-to-back defeats, with the loss at Turf Moor being seen as an inflexion point for their season.
A draw against West Ham will not be good enough, but Farke cannot afford a defeat on Friday night and it could be the beginning of the end of his spell at Elland Road.
The Leeds manager is already on a shorter leash in the Premier League because of his previous poor record at the top level and the last few results have not helped to eliminate those doubts.
Farke must bring in the required changes to his team and get rid of some of his blind loyalty towards certain players this season.
Jaka Bijol must replace Pascal Struijk in defence and it may also be time for Lucas Perri to win back his place from Karl Darlow between the sticks.
Leeds need more invention in midfield and Ao Tanaka should be replacing Anton Stach as the Japanese is far more accomplished in building attacks from midfield compared to the German.
Brenden Aaronson must be replaced in right wing with Daniel James, if the Welshman is fit to start a Premier League game. The American has offered little in terms of creating or scoring goals this season.
A few injuries limit Farke’s ability to make more changes, but the Leeds manager must now use his squad to shake-up the team or risk getting replaced soon.
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