Leeds United may well have a decision to make soon if Daniel Farke cannot arrest a worrying run of form away at Nottingham Forest this weekend.
A win at home to West Ham looked to lift the mood at Elland Road. But, in facing a competent side last time out, Leeds were brought back down to earth.
United were soundly beaten by Brighton at the AMEX. As a result, Daniel Farke took plenty of criticism for a naive setup akin to how Leeds were battered at Arsenal in August.
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Is Daniel Farke under big pressure at Leeds United after Brighton loss?
Perhaps the biggest worry for Leeds is that the performance at Brighton suggested Farke hadn’t learned his lesson from the Arsenal loss. Leeds tried playing out against one of the best-organised presses in the division, giving themselves untold problems that ultimately led to the Seagulls’ dominance.
Post-match, there was online debate around individuals that were at fault for goals. But, ultimately, Leeds were undone by their own tactical setup and have now lost three of their last four to be sucked closer to the bottom three.
Daniel Farke comes under fresh scrutiny ahead of Leeds United’s trip to Nottingham Forest. (Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley)
Inevitably, this brings Farke’s future into question. A defeat at Nottingham Forest this Sunday would have United worryingly close to slipping into the relegation zone.
West Ham getting a shock win at home to Spurs narrows the gap. Changes in management might help spark a revival for the Irons. Meanwhile, but Wolves have just sacked Vitor Pereira, while Sean Dyche settles in at Forest.
Jeff Stelling suggests Steven Gerrard as option to replace Daniel Farke at Leeds United
Looking at the pool of managers that would be available for Leeds to pursue, if Farke was dismissed, there’s not a huge array of quality with domestic options.
Therefore, TalkSPORT’s Jeff Stelling believes someone of interest might be former Rangers and Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard.
“Daniel Farke wasn’t universally popular with Leeds fans when they got promoted, and he’s under a lot of pressure right now,” Stelling said on Monday morning. “And the manner of their defeat, I think, at the weekend at Brighton has left a lot of Leeds fans questioning him.
“And I just wonder whether Steven Gerrard is just maybe holding fire for something like that, although I’m not sure whether an ex-Liverpool man can go and manage Leeds.”
Steven Gerrard to Leeds United would be a disaster this season
Suggestions like this from the mainstream media aren’t a shock. It’s a big English name out of work, and a big English job potentially opening up.
Steven Gerrard has been suggested as a replacement for Daniel Farke at Leeds United. (REUTERS/David Klein)
It wouldn’t be the first time the Liverpool legend has been linked with Elland Road. Gerrard, though, is out of work for a reason. And, it should be warning Leeds to completely steer clear no matter what.
Having won the Scottish Premiership with Rangers, Gerrard earned a major gig in the Premier League through Aston Villa in November 2021. However, his time at Villa Park was largely poor. He underperformed with a talented squad respective to the part of the table he was sitting in.
Having lost six out of 12 at the start of 22/23 season, Gerrard was promptly dismissed by Villa and replaced by Unai Emery. That change sparked a massive upturn in form as the Villans ended up qualifying for Europe.
After Villa Park, Gerrard’s only job since has been in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq. Although, he left after 18 months by mutual consent.
Villa’s overnight turnaround from relegation candidates to a side qualifying for Europe was lauded as a remarkable job done by Emery, and rightly so. However, it underlines how badly Gerrard was doing with the same side, and that’s not what Leeds would need. Leeds require a manager to get every last drop out of a side, to overachieve.
Gerrard’s career post-Rangers is the evidence Leeds should need to avoid a move for him, which would likely just result in relegation. Gone are the days where someone should get a job on their name alone.
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