They used to say, just a few years ago, that newly promoted sides to the Premier League were practically condemned to fall back to the second tier at the first opportunity. Thankfully, several clubs have proven that this is not true. And, to my mind, Daniel Farke’s tactics could help Leeds avoid the drop.
However, at the time of writing, Farke’s position is unstable, despite having just defeated Chelsea, 3-1, at Stamford Bridge.
What’s the real story? Why are Leeds’s tactics working in some matches and failing in other encounters? Here’s what I am trying to answer today.
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Pre-managerial career
Like many of the most successful managers in England in recent years, Daniel Farke comes from, of course, Germany.
And, like many of those managers (Guardiola, Tuchel, etc.), Farke had a middling career as a football player in the lower divisions before proving himself to be a managerial genius.
Well, truth be told, he is still working on that latter part, but things have been coming together since 2009, when he joined tiny SV Lippstadt as manager. This led to a 2-year stint as head of Borussia Dortmund II, eventually, and surprisingly, culminating in a job as manager of Norwich.
Short appointments as head coach of Krasnodar and Borussia Monchengladbach felt a little bizarre. But, clearly, they showcased a professional who was on the radar of many top clubs. Since 2023, Farke has been the manager of Leeds, one of England’s legendary clubs, a real sleeping giant.
Football Philosophy
A team that dominates the Championship is not the same team once it has been promoted to the Premier League. Once in the EPL, that same team is desperate for points. Leeds has had to make a choice whether to be consistent with its style that brought them to the top-tier, or become a defence-first team.
Last season, almost without fault, Leeds was set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. In this campaign, Farke has made changes. The team often plays in a 4-3-3 or 3-5-2 formation.
Back in the 2024/25 season, Daniel Farke insisted on gaining possession, keeping the ball, and being creative with it. That worked! Leeds were crowned champions, had a whopping +65 goal difference, and the league’s top scorer was their Dutch striker, Joel Piroe.
In 2025/26, Leeds is in 17th place and has the 15th-worst goal scoring in the league. However, Farke has largely stuck to his guns. This has made some label him as naive, while the approach has earned the respect of many others.
Leeds in Defence
If you haven’t watched Leeds since the last time that the teams were in the EPL, the good news is that a lot of the old gang is still here. For example, the central defensive pairing of Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk is a familiar one.
The team operates in a wide four-man defence. But it is the work without the ball of the team’s three central midfielders that is key to the team ‘s defence.
Leeds sit up in a mid-block in a 4-1-4-1 shape and press aggressively. This is not unlike Marcelo Bielsa’s pressing style from a few years earlier.
Players like Gabriel Gudmundsson or Sean Longstaff have relatively good tackle win rates, and you’d expect Leeds to be able to pick up points against opponents of a similar calibre. With all due respect, I’d imagine the victory against a team like Chelsea to be a one-off.
Build-Up Style
Typically, as they did last season, Leeds will begin building up from the back, using the central defensive pairing as ball-playing defenders.
Usually, one of the central midfielders will drop back to pick up the ball, while the central defender not in possession will remain in close proximity.
Leeds in Attack
When building up, the wide full-backs will advance, putting the opposition under pressure. Cleverly, this means that at least one central defender will also move down to compensate for their teammates’ movements.
Most of the players in Leeds’s starting line-up are quite comfortable on the ball and can switch positions or play smartly between the lines. Now, naturally, this is easier done against an opponent in the Championship, but Farke is sticking to his guns.
The objective of most attacking plays is to advance the ball into wider areas and create numerical superiority there. Dominic Calvert-Lewin or Piroe are the team’s main attacking threats, both relying on their ability to win aerial duels and find space in a crowded box.
What’s Next for Farke and Leeds?
Farke’s done a fine job to get Leeds back into the Premier League. Unlike Scott Parker’s Burnley, Leeds has played for the most part, positive, attacking football. It’s only recently that this style of play has worked for Farke. Likely this is, at least in part, due to the players being willing to fight for their manager.
It’s an uphill battle, certainly, for Leeds to avoid the drop. However, this is a season in which nearly all EPL teams have struggled for consistency. If Leeds manages to get over the December fixtures with some points in the bank, Farke can be the man to lead the team to a 26/27 EPL campaign.
