Leeds United’s defeat against Nottingham Forest turned up the pressure on head coach Daniel Farke, leaving his side languishing perilously close to the Premier League relegation zone.
There was an overwhelming sense of relief at Elland Road two weeks ago, as the Whites secured a much-needed Premier League win over rivals West Ham.
Daniel Farke was cheered off the pitch on that occasion. However, the mood was very different when his Leeds players left the field at the City Ground after a damaging defeat against Nottingham Forest.
Ally McCoist believes Farke is under pressure following the defeat, a sentiment which is backed by reports that he has five games to save his job at Leeds.
Gareth Southgate has been touted as one of several names in the frame to replace Farke. However, Jon Newsome’s apposite comparison between Farke and the former England manager shows why Leeds should be cautious about moving in that direction.
Nottingham Forest v Leeds United - Premier League
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Jon Newsome compares Daniel Farke to Gareth Southgate
Newsome criticised Farke for burying his head in the sand after Leeds’ defeat against Forest, having questioned the decision not to award Leeds a free-kick in the build-up to Forest’s decisive second goal.
However, according to Newsome, any fans who expect Southgate to bring a different style of football to Leeds would be disappointed.
Speaking on BBC Radio Leeds immediately after the game, Newsome criticised Farke’s approach again, stating: “Why don’t we start on the front foot? Why don’t we start thinking, ‘let them worry about us’?
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“Yeah, we’ll worry about them – they’re a good side – but let them worry about us, rather than everything being negative and defensive, let’s not get beaten.
“It’s like Gareth Southgate, isn’t it, with the England squad? You know, they used to go 1 -0 up, and then it was, oh, let’s not concede another.
“And inevitably, you draw the opposition on, you encourage them to come at you, and they get the tails up and the momentum changes.”
Gareth Southgate after Spain v England: Final - UEFA EURO 2024
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Daniel Farke reacted too late to change his Leeds United set-up
Southgate’s reputation was sealed in the Euro 2020 final, when England took an early lead against Italy, before sitting back and eventually losing on penalties, a pattern that was repeated throughout Southgate’s time in charge.
One of the main criticisms of Farke’s time at Leeds is that he is a reactive coach. Fans have been frustrated at times by his late substitutions and tendency to give players one too many games when out of form, with Illan Meslier a case in point.
Yesterday was another example of Leeds’ boss being reactive. Forest head coach Sean Dyche made a decisive triple substitution in the 59th minute, which swung the momentum definitively in Forest’s favour.
Nottingham Forest 3-1 Leeds United
Forest come from behind to secure victory over Leeds at The City Ground – their first league win since the opening weekend of the 2025-26 season. pic.twitter.com/gw1ooa7b6s
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However, Farke chose to wait until 15 minutes later, and six minutes after Forest had scored, to respond with a triple change of his own, which failed to inspire a comeback from his side.
By nature, fans are more reactionary than the coach; that’s why Farke is paid to make the decisions. Leeds fans have watched enough of Farke to know that he has a habit of reacting, rather than being proactive.
But, fans should always be careful what they wish for. Leeds learned the hard way that changing managers without a succession plan will not work. Just ask Javi Gracia. If the 49ers do decide to make a change, they need to have a clear plan in place for what comes next.