What Daniel Farke has done behind-the-scenes at Elland Road to inspire Leeds United resurgence
Leeds United have increased their chances of avoiding relegation tenfold since the start of December, and Daniel Farke deserves huge credit.
Farke was on the verge of being sacked by Leeds following their 3-2 defeat to Manchester City at the beginning of last month, but the 49ers are glad they persisted with the German.
Following a switch to a 3-5-2 formation – inspired by Farke’s half-time team talk against Man City – the Whites have looked like a team transformed.
Including wins over Chelsea and Crystal Palace, Leeds pieced together a seven-match unbeaten run before their narrow 4-3 loss to Newcastle United to move eight points clear of the relegation zone, and one decision from the boss has proven crucial.
Daniel Farke has brought the Leeds squad together
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s incredible scoring run has been crucial to their Premier League resurgence, with the Englishman firing eight goals in his last nine top-flight outings.
Calvert-Lewin has the formation change to thank for his upturn in form, but also the work Farke has done behind-the-scenes at Elland Road.
⚪️🟡 Daniel Farke was told 54 days ago that “you don’t know what you’re doing” – results and performance since would tell a different story
— Dominic King (@DominicKing_DM) January 16, 2026
✍🏻 We started with a disagreement but, by the end, he’d given a fascinating insight into life life at Leeds United pic.twitter.com/LcIDJMi1ZT
According to the Daily Mail’s Dominic King, Farke has “encouraged the squad to see each other away from the confines of Thorp Arch”, and the results of a happy working group are there for all to see.
“I’ve been in many dressing rooms as a player and manager,” Farke said. “Many of them have been really good. But the spirit in this group and the league is really second to none. I don’t take this for granted.”
“We have an elite environment, everyone has to deliver and in how we interact as human beings. We show fighting spirit and togetherness.”
The German has created a closely knit group at Thorp Arch, and fostering such a positive environment has arguably been most important to their recent success.
How Leeds rank defensively in the Premier League
Leeds have the fifth-worst defence in the Premier League after conceding 37 goals in 21 matches, but the data proves they don’t ship a lot of high quality chances.
As highlighted by Understat, the West Yorkshire outfit are eighth in the top-flight for expected goals against (xGA) with a total of 30.63, bettering the likes of Chelsea, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.
Farke has utilised height and strength all over the pitch to dominate his opponents physically, with the likes of Jaka Bijol, Joe Rodon and Pascal Strujik all starring in defence.
Encouragingly, even during Rodon’s spell out through injury, Sebastiaan Bornauw performed admirably against Liverpool and Manchester United.
So, even players who have barely featured in the entire campaign are ready to take their chance, and that is the mentality Farke has ingrained within the squad.
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