The picture for Leeds United between the two international breaks has shifted - in the wrong direction
Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter
13:21, 10 Nov 2025
Daniel Farke's critics are growing
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Daniel Farke's critics are growing(Image: Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Daniel Farke is very aware of the noise outside of the club around his position. “The fan base of Leeds United is very, very emotional,” he reiterated after the 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest.
“Everyone was, after each loss on Championship level, doubting that we would get out of this league. We won the title with 100 points, the most goals and the best season in history.
“Right now, it's [lower end of Premier League] all a bit tighter, but it's nothing that we are panicking about. What the outside world is thinking or wants to think - we can't influence that much. We are quite calm, we know what we need to do better.”
Some United supporters have made it clear that they do not believe Farke should have the chance to make things better. Three points from six away games is poor, even if one of them was the trip to Arsenal.
Losses in the opening stages of the season were stomached with performances showing that Leeds could do battle. The last two games, plus the defeat at Burnley, have now put that in doubt and questions are naturally being asked of Farke.
This is being fuelled by many aspects, not least the current level of team display. Farke’s in-game decisions, namely substitutions, are also being spotlighted. And of course, there is the horrid run on the other side of the international break with Aston Villa, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool lying in wait.
This is why the current cornerstone Farke is leaning on is brittle. After the Forest defeat, the United manager referenced being on track with the club’s point-per-game aim - 11 points from 11 games - and how Leeds have yet to dip into the bottom three all season.
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The likelihood is that both of those facts will break apart in a month’s time. It must be said that a win over Villa at home would offer a temporary reprieve.
Not only would it instil belief back into Leeds, but it would also provide them with a cushion heading into the trio of games against ‘big six’ opposition. Should Leeds beat Villa and lose to the rest, they would only be a point behind their baseline target.
Yet defeating the Villains is a very tough task, and some will argue an improbability. The pressure put on the next home game is self-inflicted, as is the pressure on the manager.
However, the 49ers could stay firm for now. By the last international break, Leeds Live revealed that decision-makers - while noting the points dropped against Fulham and Bournemouth - were pleased with the performances Farke had gotten out of his side.
They noted that there was a long way to go and underscored that no decision would be made based on one or two results alone, but the overall picture would be assessed. That picture has admittedly somewhat changed in the space of four games.
Leeds United spent more than £100m this summer
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Leeds United boss Daniel Farke spent more than £100m in the summer(Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
For those who sit in the case-for-Farke camp, Leeds are indeed outside of the bottom three by the November international break - a scenario most fans would have taken at face value at the start of the season.
A win over Villa would crank the noise down a notch, if not in totality. Any points against Man City, Chelsea or Liverpool would be a bonus - anything is possible in football, in theory, after all.
However, as those in the case-against-Farke camp will rightly point out, more adverse results will shift the focus onto the 49ers, who - as a sidebar - have yet to sack a manager since taking full control of the club.
Club chiefs have plotted out where they expect Leeds to be at various points in the season based on the odds of beating respective opponents. It seems clear that if Farke dips too far below this line, then meetings will be scheduled.
But there are considerations that need to be taken into account. One would be to find and appoint a suitable replacement, which is not a given. The other is the sacking compensation Farke would be entitled to amidst United’s reality that their PSR limits have been maxed out.
Headroom can be created in various ways to cater for this, mind - although prising a new manager out of an existing contract elsewhere is not a cost-free move either. But every club has its crunch point when it comes to pressing the eject button.
Cynically speaking, past Premier League trends have shown that manager changeovers can happen when the new hire has a good run of games to start his tenure. Evidently, this is not the scenario Leeds currently face.
To be clear, there has been no indication that any decision is imminent or forecasted - this is only the thoughts of this correspondent. And if anything, all the indicators point to the 49ers not being trigger-happy for the immediate future. Either way, the pressure is now truly on.
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