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Underperforming Leeds United must consider rethink under Daniel Farke
There was plenty of change at Leeds United in the summer following the club’s relegation from the Premier League.
And one of the most significant changes was in the dugout, with former Norwich City boss Daniel Farke taking charge at Elland Road.
The German has already had plenty of ups and downs during his brief tenure so far, as is now customary when it comes to managing the West Yorkshire club.
His side currently sit fifth in the Championship table, with 19 points to their name, having won five, drawn four and lost two of their 11 matches.
According to Opta Analyst, it could, however, be so much better for Leeds, whose expected points tally would have left them sitting second in the table at this stage of the campaign.
Their expected total of 20.6 points would only be bettered by fellow relegated club Leicester City, with the Foxes having an expected total of 22.4 points.
“The Opta expected points model simulates the number of goals scored by each side in each match based on the xG value of every shot taken,” according to Opta Analyst. “It then uses the simulated number of goals to determine the match outcome (win/draw/loss).
“Each match is simulated 10,000 times. The expected points for each team in each match can then be calculated based on the proportion of simulations they win/draw/lose.
“This is of course not an exact science, as expected goals data doesn’t include a lot of factors, such as game state and dangerous periods of possession that don’t lead to shots.”
While it is not an exact science, it does represent a good indicator of how things should be going for all 24 Championship clubs.
It certainly won’t spark Farke into an immediate panic, but it may just urge the manager to rethink his approach in the dugout.
The competition is fiercely competitive, and the former Canaries boss knows better than most of the fine margins that are involved between getting promoted and staying in the division for another season.
In other Leeds United news, one Whites player has reacted to Eden Hazard’s retirement announcement with a small tribute.