Daniel Farke has received wholesome praise for steering Leeds to the cusp of Premier League safety, having been described as a ‘multifaceted’ coach, capable of adapting his ways and learning on the job – while a big debate has unfolded over which side will now end up suffering relegation.
The Whites pulled off a landmark win at Manchester United on Monday night – their first league triumph at Old Trafford in a scarcely-believable 45 years – to move six points clear of 18th-placed Tottenham Hotspur. Leeds can move a titanic nine points clear of the drop zone if they beat basement boys Wolves at Elland Road on Saturday; their game concluding before Spurs get underway.
Having also steered Leeds into a first FA Cup semi-final since 1987, Farke has plenty to smile about of late, and while the manager himself is taking nothing for granted, insisting they need to “stay focused and stay humble”, his progress at Elland Road this season has earned him widespread acclaim.
The turning point for Leeds came at the back end of November when, trailing 2-0 to Manchester City at the Etihad, Farke switched formations to a 3-5-2 – and they have not looked back since.
Just four losses in the resulting 23 games have not only fired Leeds to Wembley for the cup semi-finals, but have also put them on the brink of safety, and pundit Simon Jordan is adamant he deserves plenty of praise.
He said on talkSPORT: “He’s showing the ability to understand what it takes to stay in the Premier League without having inordinate amounts of money to spend. In both instances at Norwich, he wasn’t given inordinate amounts of money.
“So it was unfair when he was being judged by a set of standards at the beginning of the season, saying, ‘This is a guy that gets you up and might not be able to keep you up’.
“What he’s shown of the third time of asking is that he knows how to navigate. He wasn’t aligned with an ideology of a way to play. Leeds changed about five, six, seven, eight games into the season.
“They changed the way they started to play. And that’s produced outcomes. So he’s adapted. He’s shown he’s multifaceted.”
READ NEXT: Five ballsy Daniel Farke decisions fuelling Leeds’ likely survival
Farke told Leeds are safe from relegation
Following that win on Monday and, given the opposition in their next two home games, Jordan is adamant Leeds can now be considered safe from relegation – but says they can still play a leading role in deciding which side will likely joined the seemingly-doomed Wolves and Burnley.
“The most important thing is, Leeds are in an FA Cup semi-final. Yeah, they’ve got 36 points. But look at their home games: They’ve got Wolves and Burnley. I mean, who would you want in your last two home games if not Wolves and Burnley? You’d have them all day, right?” Jordan added.
“So you’ve got to be saying to yourself, well, we’re gonna stay in there [the Premier League]. What they will also do, ironically, is not just perhaps secure their future. They might be pivotal in the outcomes of Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham. They’re playing those two teams as well.
“Leeds can be the kingmakers of themselves, but they also might be ‘king-savers’ of one of the other two big London clubs. Because it’s going to be one of the other two. I think Forest seem to have pulled themselves together. So it’s gonna be West Ham or Spurs, and it looks now, as much as I might want it to be something different, it looks like it’s gonna be Spurs.”
Want more breaking transfer lines from original sources? Add TEAMtalk as a preferred source on Googleto your favourites list for news you can trust.
More Leeds coverage on TEAMtalk
Leeds relegation chances now clear as Tottenham, Nott’m Forest, West Ham learn point-by-point survival guide
Roy Keane sends message to ‘brilliant’ Leeds boss Farke as he ponders sliding doors sack decision
Leeds pushing to sign classy Man City star in stunning coup amid rival Tottenham interest