Leeds United push for promotion under Daniel Farke
It’s fair to say that Leeds United’s 2022/23 Premier League campaign was one to forget. The combined efforts of Jesse Marsch and Javi Garcia, alongside survival specialist Sam Allardyce’s last-ditch rescue attempt, were not enough to save the club from the embarrassment of relegation.Supporters were left to rue underwhelming transfer windows after they were sent down by Spurs on the final day of the season.
There was a distinct lack of optimism around the city ahead of the summer window, despite
the appointment of new manager Daniel Farke in July. As expected, the playing squad saw an
extensive overhaul, with key players Rodrigo and Tyler Adams leaving permanently, paired with a deluge of loan departures. Regular first-team starters including Brendan Aaronsen, Rasmus
Kristensen, and Robin Koch all exited the club for the season, leaving Farke with a massive rebuild on his hands.
Going into the season opener against Cardiff in August, little had been done to change fans’
opinions. New midfielder Ethan Ampadu came into the team, but could only help his new club to a 2-2 draw. This was just the start of a rough month, as defeat away to Birmingham and a draw to West Brom left Leeds languishing 19 th in the table. Just to add to the team’s teething issues, exciting young winger Wilfried Gnonto was angling for a move away and was subsequently left out of the squad for the start of the campaign.
If things couldn’t get any worse, Leeds were travelling down to face in-form Ipswich for their
next game. In contrast to their Yorkshire opponents, Ipswich had made a perfect start to the season, having won all three of their games to begin their promotion push. This trend looked set to continue, when new-signing Spurs loanee Joe Rodon turned the ball into his own net, giving Ipswich the lead after only 7th minutes. However, Leeds responded instantly with three goals in under ten minutes, including a strike from the new £10 million striker Joel Piroe, the prolific Swedish goalscorer signed from Swansea. Leeds eventually came away with a 4-3 win; Farke’s men left Portman Road with a huge statement victory, that they hoped would kickstart their season.
Things were not smooth sailing from here, however. Just three days later, Leeds were unceremoniously dumped out of the League Cup by League Two side Salford City. A chaotic transfer deadline day followed, where the loss of Luis Sinisterra was softened by the arrivals of dynamic midfielder Glen Kamara and tricky winger Jaidon Antony. Slowly but surely, the players started to gel as the squad began to adapt to Farke’s tactical demands. Since the last international break in September, Leeds have picked up 13 points from a possible 18, only dropping points away at Hull and fellow relegated side Southampton. In a world of inverted full-backs and false nines, Farke’s tactical setup is a wonderful throwback. Leeds effectively play a 4-4-2, with Piroe playing in a deeper role alongside the pacy Rutter, who looks to stretch the opposition defense with his pace. When paired with two direct wingers, Leeds are a force to be reckoned with in attack. A 3-0 win away at Millwall confirmed the devastating goalscoring ability of their attacking quartet, as goals from Piroe and Rutter capped off sweeping counter-attacking moves.
Going the other way, the four-man defense is protected by a couple of all-action midfielders,
usually two of Kamara, Ampadu, or 17-year-old Archie Gray. Four clean sheets in their last six games, including shutouts at home against QPR and Watford, have demonstrated their defensive resilience in the last few weeks. The international break has perhaps come at a bad time for Leeds, with them sitting 5th in the table as they hit some good form. Leicester and Ipswich may already be pulling away in the automatic promotion spots, but there’s no need for fans to panic. If they can continue scoring goals and maintain some defensive rigidity, there’s no reason why Farke’s Leeds side can’t finish in the top six, giving themselves a chance to immediately bounce back to the top flight through the playoffs.
