The international break is finally over and the pressure is on for Leeds United as Daniel Farke’s men face eight games to determine whether it will be the Championship or the Premier League, next term.
One win in four games has seen Leeds go from five points clear of Sheffield United to level on points with The Blades, only two points ahead of Burnley. A win over Millwall came after defeat away at Portsmouth.
The 1-0 loss was only the fourth defeat of the season but it saw Leeds lose their lead of Chris Wilder’s side. Wilder has predicted a “titanic” battle for the top two, while Connor Roberts told fans to “buckle up”.
For Leeds, it is a return to action against Swansea at Elland Road on Saturday. A game which sees Joel Piroe, Dan James and Joe Rodon all play against their old side as Leeds look to get back to winning ways.
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Swansea City make announcement three days prior to Leeds clash
Following the sacking of Luke Williams as manager, who was in place for Swansea’s 4-3 loss to Leeds back in November, Swansea have placed Alan Sheehan in interim charge of the struggling Welsh outfit.
On Wednesday and just three days ahead of Saturday’s clash, Swansea confirmed that Sheehan would stay until the end of the season in his role as interim manager. A big moment for the 38-year-old coach.
Sheehan has been in charge for five games as Swansea’s stop-gap manager so far, taking seven points in that time including wins against Blackburn Rovers and Middlesbrough, but losing his last two outings.
Sheehan confirmed before the break that centre-back and key player Harry Darling was “touch and go”, a player that scored against Leeds in the 4-3 showdown in Wales – and will be a blow for Swansea if absent.
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Swansea City is pleased to announce that caretaker head coach Alan Sheehan will continue in his role until the end of the 2024-25 season.
Sheehan will be joined by two new additions to his coaching team in Mark Fotheringham and Richard Stearman.
— Swansea City AFC (@SwansOfficial) March 26, 2025
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Alan Sheehan is a former Leeds United left-back, but he struggled
There aren’t many left-backs that have really impressed at Leeds in the last 20 years. Ian Harte made the position his own for years before departing after relegation and Leeds have failed to properly replace him.
Charlie Taylor did well after breaking into the Leeds first team having come through at Thorp Arch. Now, Junior Firpo is thriving – Firpo netting his 19th goal and assist for club and country on Tuesday night.
But there has been a big list of mediocre left-backs that have tried and failed at Elland Road and one of those is Sheehan. He joined initially in January 2008 and signed permanently that summer at Leeds.
But the former Leicester defender only played 24 times in Leeds and spent more time out on loan during his time at Elland Road than he did actually playing for The Whites. Now, he returns to Leeds as manager.