Eleven years have passed since Daniel Farke mounted a magnificent palomino horse and rode round the perimeter of the pitch at Lippstadt, waving farewell to a capacity crowd. It seemed a fun way for the lower-tier German club’s centre-forward turned manager and sporting director to say goodbye. Yet few in the stands knew Farke was scared of horses and hauled himself into the saddle only out of politeness towards his chair, who had arranged this special surprise.
For example, if a team has two very good centre-backs who dominate aerially it makes sense to build with more low passes. Also it’s possible to break the [opposition] pressing by playing good football out from the back.” Not that Leeds are averse to taking the direct route. This season only Hull and Nottingham Forest have played a higher percentage of their passes long than a Leeds XI invariably spearheaded by the formidable Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
As Farke says: “We very often have a physical target player up front that we can be a bit more direct into.” If such tactical variety is designed to keep rivals guessing, a fusion of alternative styles also befits a coach who admires the contrasting approaches of his close friends Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp. Adaptability almost certainly saved his job last season. From 4 October to 29 November Leeds played seven Premier League games, losing six.
They have since completed 28 league fixtures, losing five, while reaching an FA Cup semi-final. Farke is negotiating from a position of strength as he discusses extending a contract that has less than a year to run. Leeds lost 3-2 at Manchester City but Farke’s half-time switch to a back three, allied to Calvert-Lewin’s introduction, provided him with a timely lifeline.
The changes enabled the visitors, trailing 2-0, to level in a transformative second-half performance spoiled only by Phil Foden’s stoppage-time winner. It marked the start of an upward trajectory that has continued this season as Leeds, alternating between three and four at the back, have remained unbeaten, like Newcastle. A watershed perhaps came when England’s James Trafford arrived this summer from City for £40m – a record fee for a British goalkeeper.
Given Newcastle had tried to buy Trafford on three occasions his signing represents something of a coup for Leeds. Throw in the abundance of diggers, hard hats and hi-vis vests on view at Elland Road as the stadium is expanded from a capacity of just under 38,000 to 53,000 and the sense of a club on the up is almost palpable. The spirit is incredible.
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