‘Daniel Farke tried to do what Leeds fans were crying out for, but it didn’t work’
Ex-Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock has claimed that Daniel Farke was wrong in conforming to Leeds fans’ wishes to play wingers in the Premier League.
Leeds shocked Chelsea in a 3-1 win at Elland Road on Wednesday night after Farke made the bold move to change to a five-at-the-back formation.
The switch saw Gabriel Gudmundsson and Jayden Bogle play as wing-backs, as they threatened the Blues throughout the match, but it came at the expense of some attackers.
Farke perhaps made the change due to Dan James’ latest injury setback, but it may have been a blessing in disguise all along.
Warnock has now explained his exact thoughts on why he thinks German was right to deploy the system he did against Chelsea, and going against the Peacock Army’s cravings.
Stephen Warnock thinks Leeds’ system vs Chelsea ‘suits’ them
Not only did Leeds beat Chelsea, but the statistics showed the Peacocks won in fairly dominant fashion.
The Elland Road faithful roared the Whites on throughout the Clash, and it showed on the pitch, as Farke may have finally found his winning formula.
- Leeds created a whopping 2.82 xG against Chelsea
- They had 17 shots
- The Whites scored three goals despite having 29% possession
Leeds’ set-piece qualities were on show again when Jaka Bijol scored a bullet header to put the Whites ahead, and Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin complemented each other well.
Even though Farke opted against playing wingers, the Whites arguably had their best attacking display of the season yet.
While commenting on the game, Warnock believes that Farke needs to persist with the 5-3-2 formation that he went with versus Enzo Maresca’s side.
Warnock said, as quoted by BBC Sport: “This system really suits Leeds. Calvert-Lewin likes having Nmecha alongside him, and Nmecha likes having someone who is more physical with him.
“The fans were crying out for Gnonto and James on the wings. Farke tried it, and it didn’t work. The physicality of the Premier League doesn’t suit them. But they have stumbled upon this, and it is working.”
Daniel Farke seemed reserved at full-time
Farke knows that he is being monitored at Leeds and will have gotten a strong message across to his players before the game.
Everybody has been fearing Leeds’ fixture list in the winter period, but the German head coach has never once looked fazed.
After the match, you’d have expected the 49-year-old to be delighted with the win, and while he probably was, he hid it well.
| Game | Date |
| Leeds vs Liverpool | 6 December |
| Brentford vs Leeds | 14 December |
| Leeds vs Crystal Palace | 20 December |
There was a moment when he was in the centre of the pitch, which seemed rather telling in a way, as he looked on at the Leeds supporters and with a ponderous expression.
Maybe he’s not trying to get ahead of himself, but Farke will certainly know how big a result that truly is for his hopes of staying at LS11.
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