Daniel Farke faces a seriously tough test on Saturday while under severe pressure at Leeds.
The German could soon be sacked after a run of six defeats in seven games saw Leeds slip into the relegation zone – and The 49ers are aware of unrest within the fanbase.
Should Leeds sack Daniel Farke?
None other than Pep Guardiola stands in the way of Daniel Farke alleviating some of the pressure on his shoulders, but if the 49-year-old can defeat the Spaniard, he would put himself in the history books.
Daniel Farke can become the first Leeds United boss to beat Manchester City with two different promoted clubs
The man born in Steinhausen has actually defeated Guardiola and Manchester City before, guiding Norwich to a 3-2 win at Carrow Road back in September 2019. It ended an 18-game unbeaten run for the Citizens.
If Farke can steer his side to victory at the Etihad Stadium this Saturday, he would become the first Leeds boss ever to beat Manchester City twice with two different promoted clubs.
Who would you start up front for Leeds?
In fact, only one other manager in history has defeated Manchester City with a promoted side on two occasions – Bryan Robson did exactly that with Middlesbrough in 1995/96 and then West Brom in 2004/05.
MORE LEEDS UNITED STORIES
However, Manchester City were not as much of a force back then as they are now, so if Farke does take three points on Saturday, his achievement will stand out far more.
How did Daniel Farke beat Manchester City in 2019?
Farke, who Gabriel Gudmundsson has messaged, adopted a 4-2-3-1 formation on that day back in September 2019, with Sam Byram actually starting on the right of defence.
The German even said he could not “park the bus” due to the amount of injuries he had in his backline, with as many as eight Norwich players absent on the day.
At the time, the BBC wrote that Norwich “were fiercely disciplined in defence but also ambitious and confident when they had the ball, not afraid to play out from the back” – all of which Leeds need to be on Saturday to have any chance of a result.
Norwich were also 2-0 up after just 28 minutes, so Leeds need to be quick out of the blocks and try to catch Manchester City unawares, especially after they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox