Daniel Farke makes decision as Leeds United smell blood in January – Phil Hay
Phil Hay believes that Leeds United are “smelling blood” after Daniel Farke and the club agreed to reschedule the Norwich City match three days before their FA Cup tie against Plymouth Argyle.
As Patrick Bamford’s goal against the Canaries hit the back of the net on Wednesday 24 January, the Whites saw themselves edging ever closer to the top two.
Having won their fifth consecutive league match, Leeds are once again in incredible form following on from two horrid losses to Preston and West Brom.
“Any amount of congestion is too much for a manager, so when the FA Cup forced Leeds to rearrange Norwich’s arrival, Daniel Farke weighed up the pros and cons,” Hay wrote for The Athletic on Thursday (25 January).
“His team were in form. His injury list was fairly light. He will not say it but Leeds are smelling blood, with no incentive to stall or buy time. All in all, this date made sense.
“The calculated gamble worked, taking his team’s unbeaten run at home into a 15th match and explaining why Leeds are smelling blood.”
Ticking over
Rewind to the beginning of December and Leicester City and Ipswich looked to be running away with the automatic promotion spots this season, with Southampton, Leeds, and West Brom battling it out for the playoff spots.
However, fast-forward to today and Farke’s men are just two points behind Ipswich, albeit having played a game more than them. Leeds are hot on the heels of Premier League promotion, and Farke probably can smell blood.
While the teams around him have slowed and faltered, Leeds have powered through, quickly forgetting the two dreadful losses in the space of three days at the end of December.
Going 15 games unbeaten at home is promotion-worthy form, especially in the Championship when absolutely anything can happen. But Elland Road has become a fortress once again. The wounds of relegation last season have been licked, and Leeds have begun the rebuild.
It will still be a very tough task to attain top-tier status for next season, but the players are giving themselves a fighting chance of not having to do it the hard way. The playoffs are nerve-wracking, where any simple mistake can cost everything.
Hopefully, if Farke and Leeds continue to smell blood and chase their goal, Elland Road will be a Premier League ground again in no time.
In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay claims that the Whites are seriously considering acceptable offers for one player with a new signing on the cards.
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