Not many neutrals will be giving Leeds United hope as they face Manchester City on Saturday afternoon, as Daniel Farke stares down the barrel.
Five defeats in the last six isn’t exactly the sort of form Leeds were looking for as they prepared for a daunting set of fixtures to round off 2025.
Daniel Farke will know that anything other improved performances and points on the board will see him lose his job. The problem he’s got is that a trip to Manchester City awaits.
Most Read on LeedsAllOver
Could Daniel Farke consider a change in formation for Leeds United?
Given Leeds’ woeful defensive structure of late, you have to wonder if Farke is considering a change to his personnel and setup.
A 4-3-3 has been favoured so far. In particular, though, his left-hand side has been badly exposed, leaving Gabriel Gudmundsson unable to stop a regular flow of chances for the opposition.
Leeds United need to change their ways to stay in the Premier League. (REUTERS/Scott Heppell)
It begs the question of whether Farke should opt for a change in formation. Given injury dilemmas and now an unwillingness to start Dan James out wide, it might lend itself to having a back-five formation with width coming from Gudmundsson and Jayden Bogle.
Further weight to that argument stems from Manchester City’s Champions League defeat this week. Having made 10 changes, Man City failed to break down Bayer Leverkusen’s back five setup, as the German club ran out 2-0 winners.
What Daniel Farke previously said about Leeds United formation change
Given the evidence we’ve seen this week, there’s reason to believe Leeds’ best bet would be shifting to a 5-3-2, or something to that effect.
Daniel Farke teased a formation change for Leeds United’s visit to Chelsea back in 2024. (REUTERS/Tony Obrien)
Farke’s never been one to divert from week to week, for good or for bad. But, back in February 2024 when Leeds faced an FA Cup clash at Chelsea, he teased a change.
“In such a game when you are the underdog, I’d like to prepare in a special way, to mirror Chelsea or change the base formation but due to our schedule we won’t do anything away from our normal rhythm,” Farke said back in February 2024.
“It would have an effect on upcoming league games. We stick to what we’ve done in the past. Try to be brave and defend really well. We know we need the best possible day to give us a chance to be successful, in this mood we will travel.”
No surprise to learn that Farke didn’t change his setup to face Chelsea, given Leeds’ quick turnaround in midweek for this fixture. But, it could be something he weighs up this Saturday.
If we’re being truthful, though. Can we really expect a change in formation? It’s hard to say. It would be wholly frustrating for this game to finally prompt Farke to adapt his methods. Given there have been so many instances where he should have done.
The naivety he demonstrated at Arsenal in August indicates that he may not change. But, given it’s last chance saloon for him, he might well buckle and change his ways.
What did Daniel Farke had to say this week about formation change against Manchester City
Midfield issues confirmed in his pre-match press conference could force Farke into rearranging his setup. No Anton Stach or Sean Longstaff significantly weakens United’s running power in the middle.
As a result, replacing Longstaff for another body at centre-back in Jaka Bijol should be something to consider.
Farke, though, didn’t want to give anything away as you can imagine.
“Always an option. I don’t like to speak too much about it in public,” Farke said, per the YEP.
“Last season, whenever necessary we changed our base formation, sometimes during the game. I don’t like to highlight too much because then it’s fishing for compliments.
“I’m concentrating on what we have to do to help the team, if needed we change to a more offensive approach. It’s not about the base formation, it’s about the principles you bring on the pitch.
Read more: Who is to blame for Leeds United conceding so many goals down the left?