Leeds United manager Daniel Farke, Thomas Frank in a circular insert.
Tottenham’s 2-1 loss to Newcastle United means they go below Leeds United in the table and are in a strange relegation battle.
Leeds United walked off the pitch at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night with a point that felt like a win.
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Two goals down, two goals back, Cole Palmer missing from two yards. The kind of night that builds belief.
Daniel Farke’s side are now six points clear of the bottom three with momentum on their side.
Tottenham firmly in a relegation battle alongside Leeds
Tottenham Hotspur have sacked Thomas Frank, as confirmed by an official announcement by the North London club. The Dane lasted less than eight months. His final act was a 2-1 home defeat to Newcastle, a result that leaves Spurs 16th in the table, one place behind Leeds and five points above the relegation zone.
This is exceptional news for Leeds, who will surely profit from the uncertainty of one of their direct relegation rivals.
Tottenham’s statement read: “The Club has taken the decision to make a change in the Men’s Head Coach position and Thomas Frank will leave today. However, results and performances have led the Board to conclude that a change at this point in the season is necessary.”
Frank departs with the worst Premier League win percentage of any Spurs manager in the competition’s history. Twenty-six games, 29 points. An average of 1.12 per game. Relegation form by any measure.
For a club that spent over £700 million on transfers since 2019, won a European trophy last May, and plays in a £1 billion stadium, this is not just a bad season. It is a collapse. You have to wonder what this does to a squad already low on confidence. Tottenham’s next five league games include Arsenal, Fulham, Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
For Leeds, this can only be good news. The relegation battle was already crowded. West Ham are surging under Nuno Espirito Santo and secured a crucial 1-1 draw against Manchester United. Nottingham Forest are also in the mix. Next are Crystal Palace, who have enough quality to stay clear, but are relegation contenders too at the moment. But the more teams dragged into the fight, the more margins shift in Leeds’ favour.
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Leeds may look back in frustration at the Tottenham defeat at Elland Road
When both sides met at Elland Road back in October, no one would have predicted that Leeds would be above Spurs in the table come February.
Nevertheless, that is the position Leeds find themselves in, and Farke may be kicking himself that his side couldn’t pick up a result against a Spurs side who have been nothing short of dreadful this season.
The warning signs for Frank were already there in October, with the data suggesting that Leeds were incredibly unfortunate not to get anything out of the game.
Despite Leeds having an xG of 1.68 compared to Spurs’ 0.53, the visitors ran out 2-1 winners at Elland Road
United had four big chances in the game, whilst Spurs had just one
Leeds also had the majority of possession, with 57% (Sofascore)
Leeds make the trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in May in what could be another pivotal clash against a relegation rival, with the Whites surely having more confidence that they can potentially pick up a result.
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