Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink loves what Daniel Farke has done to help ‘main man’ at Leeds United
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has revealed his Leeds United insight ahead of the Everton clash on Monday.
Leeds are set to face Everton in the Premier League with the hope of making it three wins from three across all competitions.
Daniel Farke has overseen a positive run of form after Leeds secured victories over Fulham and Derby County in their last two.
The Whites have also seen their prospects boosted by the introduction of Facundo Buonanotte at Leeds, with more signings potentially on their way with just days remaining in the January window.
Even with all this positivity at Elland Road, Hasselbaink has picked out one factor that has massively helped the LS11 outfit to thrive.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink loves tactical change at Leeds
Leeds suffered a narrow defeat against Manchester City earlier in the season, in a period where results were pointing towards a relegation battle.
The half-time break at the Etihad saw Farke make a change to a five-back formation, and it completely changed the Whites’ fortunes.
They may have lost against Pep Guardiola’s men, but they did manage to get back on level terms in surprise fashion.
That approach has been utilised ever since by the Yorkshire club, and it has afforded Dominic Calvert-Lewin the chance to score on a regular basis.
It is that factor that has left Hasselbaink impressed as he picked out the alteration ahead of Leeds’ away clash with Everton on Sky Sports Main Event.
He said: “They have wing-backs who can cover the space and also get back quickly to make it a five, and make them really hard to beat. They run, and they run.
“As I say, when you play that formation, you have to have players who are very mobile in midfield, and as wing-backs, they have to go up and down.
“It also gives them two strikers, and Calvert-Lewin needs someone around him, and then he can be the main man and feed off others.“
Dominic Calvert-Lewin really is the ‘main man’ at Leeds United
There were some reservations when the ex-England international made the move to Elland Road after a poor spell at Everton previously.
Outside of one season under Carlo Ancelotti at Goodison, the striker had never really been a consistently excellent goalscorer.
But that is exactly what he has been for Leeds United.
Calvert-Lewin is seriously benefiting from Farke’s changes, and Hasselbaink is spot on with his assessment at Elland Road this campaign.
That has seen the 28-year-old become a beacon of light in LS11, even amongst a squad full of players having excellent personal seasons.
If he keeps scoring, Leeds will feel confident about avoiding relegation, and that is something that would make his free transfer look like a stunning piece of business.
Stay up to date this winter with our Leeds transfer tracker. Click to see every done deal at Elland Road, plus expert reaction from our team of writers.