Leeds United’s prospects of avoiding relegation from the Premier League appeared bleak as they fell two goals down inside the opening 25 minutes of their visit to title contenders Manchester City.
England star Phil Foden ensured Daniel Farke’s men made the worst possible start at the Etihad Stadium as he fired City in front inside the opening minute before Josko Gvardiol doubled the hosts’ lead with just 25 minutes on the clock. The doubts over the direction Leeds were taken had increased, as had the belief their Premier League stay could be limited to a solitary season.
But a tactical tweak at half-time brought an immediate improvement and Farke’s side looked to be on their way to what would have been a remarkable point as Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha both found the net during the second half. Parity remained in place until injury-time when there was late heartache for the Whites as Foden snatched the points for City with a last-gasp winner.
However, the approach taken by Farke during the second half at the Etihad Stadium has triggered an improvement in fortunes and has brought what could be crucial results and points in the battle against relegation from the Premier League. Some of the doubts over the Whites head coach’s future and the direction his side were taken appear to have quietened following draws with Liverpool and Brentford and invaluable and impressive wins against Chelsea and Crystal Palace.
That all means the Whites will head into the Boxing Day trip to former Championship promotion rivals Sunderland sitting six points clear of the relegation zone – and the YEP’s has described the turnaround in fortunes as ‘an absolute joy to watch’ but stressed the previous concerns over Farke were ‘legitmate’.
What has Graham Smyth said about Daniel Farke and Leeds United?
Speaking on the Inside Elland Road podcast, Smyth said: “It’s been an absolute joy to watch since halftime at Man City. It’s a massive transformation. We should talk a little bit about how I’ve seen some posts. There will be people who say, ‘the Farke doubters, where are they now?’ I think it was probably quite reasonable to have doubts and to have worries and concerns. You know, goals, I think was a legit worry for people inside the club.
“You know, people at the top of the club, not just people like us outside it. I don’t think anyone saw them scoring goals quite as frequently as they have against some of the teams that they have. The fact they have scored so many makes it wildly entertaining and they’ve had chances that they haven’t tucked away and you think how many chances, how many more goals could they have had? So there were concerns, there were legitimate concerns. Those concerns are being answered in an emphatic way.”
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