Leeds United were set up for failure against Sunderland as Daniel Farke fails history lesson
Daniel Farke’s approach to Leeds United’s game against Sunderland was wrong from the off.
Leeds‘ bid to secure Premier League safety received a big setback after a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland at Elland Road on Tuesday.
Farke’s team did have 70 per cent possession, 18 shots to the visitors’ three, and an Expected Goals tally of 1.16 vs 0.86, but Habib Diarra’s 70th-minute penalty proved to be the difference.
Pascal Struijk arguably should have been given a penalty for Luke O’Nien’s aggressive holding tactics in the box but it wasn’t to be for Leeds.
Despite being on top for large periods, this defeat is, perhaps, largely down to Farke’s approach to the contest.
Daniel Farke’s timid approach costs Leeds
Last season in the Championship, Leeds played more attacking teams at home and more defensive ones away.
For example, Ilia Gruev was frequently used to shore up Leeds’ midfield on their travels, while Ao Tanaka or sometimes Joe Rothwell were preferred at Elland Road.
In Leeds’ dramatic 2-1 win over Sunderland last season, Farke started the more attack-minded Tanaka with the defensively solid Gruev, while Ethan Ampadu filled in at centre-back.
In an effort to overturn their 1-0 deficit, Rothwell was brought on for Gruev in the second half, with the midfielder bagging two assists in the last-gasp victory.
Fast forward to Tuesday night’s 1-0 loss to Sunderland, Gruev started against Regis Le Bris’ team but didn’t have much of an impact in a midfield with Ampadu, and Anton Stach.
Sunderland made it clear they came to come away with at least a point. Indeed, their stoppages in the game amounted to 31 minutes and 17 seconds, whereas Leeds were down at 23 minutes and 14 seconds.
Farke has done well in the past few months to keep Leeds’ points tally ticking over, although they have dropped a lot of points through conceding late goals.
But this was a chance to play someone like a Tanaka or a Sean Longstaff; someone with a bit more creativity in the centre of the park who could, potentially, unlock Sunderland’s solid defensive rearguard.
This was a “must not lose” mentality, and Leeds still ended up losing. They didn’t do enough to break down Sunderland’s brick wall, and arguably, Farke’s substitutes came on too late.
Of course, there is no guarantee a slightly more attacking line-up would have done the trick but this negativity will leave a sour taste in Leeds fans’ mouths. The Whites didn’t play well but Farke’s timid approach backfired.
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Leeds miss opportunity but should not catastrophise situation
Prior to the Sunderland game, the majority of Leeds fans would have been very content with how things had panned out in the past few months.
Three defeats in 14 league games did not make for bad reading as Leeds sat six points above the relegation zone.
Yes, they missed the opportunity to pick up more points at the likes of Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, and more, but they were still increasing their points tally and putting in encouraging displays.
One hugely disappointing result against Sunderland will undoubtedly spook Leeds fans, especially if West Ham win at Fulham on Wednesday to close the gap to three points.
But Leeds supporters should not lose sight of the fact that they are very competitive in nearly every game and are still in a better position than the likes of West Ham, Nottingham Forest, and Tottenham.
Now that the mood around Elland Road has darkened, Leeds will need to show their resolve in their next two league games away to Crystal Palace and at home to Brentford. It isn’t panic stations but Leeds need to bounce back and quickly.
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