Leeds United take on Chelsea in a few hours’ time looking to build on their encouraging second half on Saturday, and Daniel Farke needs a reaction.
The overriding frustration around Daniel Farke at the moment is the lack of adaptability from game to game, as well as moment to moment.
Away at Manchester City, though, he was forced into a switch due to Dan James’ injury, and it worked as Leeds looked instantly much better in a 3-5-2.
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Leeds United v Chelsea: Sky Sports presenter David Jones makes Daniel Farke formation plea
The noise inside the Leeds fanbase at the moment is largely unanimous about what must be done after the Man City defeat.
Leeds’ contrast in performances from the first to the second half proved what the fans have been cryuing out for. Not only for Farke to be generally more proactive in his decision-making, but to a back three that brings more out of Leeds’ best players, which we all saw unfold at the Etihad.
Daniel Farke must change his ways as Leeds United manager to keep his job. (REUTERS/Chris Radburn)
Daniel Farke stuck to his guns during his pre-match press conference, alluding to his decisions being led by principles rather than a base formation.
However, Sky Sports presenter David Jones believes Farke needs to make this change to relieve sack pressure.
“Leeds v Chelsea is really quite a fascinating one tonight, one I’m really looking forward to,” Jones said on TikTok. “If you take the second half of Leeds’ game at Manchester City in isolation, I think Leeds fans would be pretty happy with their team.
“The problem is the defeats keep coming, they lost that game 3-2, lost six of the last seven. Daniel Farke is a manager under pressure, but maybe he just found something – a little tweak at half-time going 3-5-2.
“Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha both have to start tonight, they have to be as direct and aggressive as they were in that second half. And, maybe something will drop in front of their own fans under the lights at Elland Road on Wednesday night.
David Jones is right – Daniel Farke must play to Leeds United’s strengths tonight
Jones then goes on about Chelsea looking to enhance their title credentials by coming through this test at Elland Road. And, that proves what approach we need to take tonight.
In Chelsea circles, there’ll be an understanding that tonight could be a banana skin and very difficult game to perform in. Farke has to harness that.
He made his horrible toplay against in that second half at City, and he needs to prove to us that he’s learning from it.
If he adopts the formation we saw in the second half, and uses the same principles that unsettled Man City, he’s got every chance of bloodying a nose tonight.
Should he remain stubborn, the writing is on the wall for me.
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