Farke’s blueprint for revitalised Leeds continues upward trajectory

Eleven years have passed since Daniel Farke mounted a magnificent palomino horse and rode round the perimeter of the pitch at Lippstadt, waving farewell to a capacity crowd. It seemed a fun way for the lower-tier German club’s centre-forward turned manager and sporting director to say goodbye. Yet few in the stands knew Farke was scared of horses and hauled himself into the saddle only out of politeness towards his chair, who had arranged this special surprise.

“I couldn’t deny him,” he said. “But it cured my fear – it was enjoyable.”

These days the Leeds manager is demanding similar bravery, as well as instant adaptability, from his players. “We want to be hard to predict,” said Farke as he prepared to welcome his compatriot Matthias Jaissle’s rapid counterattacking Newcastle team to Elland Road on Monday night. “We have different approaches. For example, if a team has two very good centre-backs who dominate aerially it makes sense to build with more low passes.

“It’s always in our DNA that we want to be on the ball and, in the buildup, we always want to be brave. Also it’s possible to break the [opposition] pressing by playing good football out from the back.”

Not that Leeds are averse to taking the direct route. This season only Hull and Nottingham Forest have played a higher percentage of their passes long than a Leeds XI invariably spearheaded by the formidable Dominic Calvert-Lewin. As Farke says: “We very often have a physical target player up front that we can be a bit more direct into.”

If such tactical variety is designed to keep rivals guessing, a fusion of alternative styles also befits a coach who admires the contrasting approaches of his close friends Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp.

Adaptability almost certainly saved his job last season. From 4 October to 29 November Leeds played seven Premier League games, losing six. They have since completed 28 league fixtures, losing five, while reaching an FA Cup semi-final.

Farke is negotiating from a position of strength as he discusses extending a contract that has less than a year to run. “Daniel’s done great,” the Leeds managing director, Robbie Evans, said this week. “We want him to be here long term and we’re working on it.”

Everything changed on 29 November. Leeds lost 3-2 at Manchester City but Farke’s half-time switch to a back three, allied to Calvert-Lewin’s introduction, provided him with a timely lifeline. The changes enabled the visitors, trailing 2-0, to level in a transformative second-half performance spoiled only by Phil Foden’s stoppage-time winner.

It marked the start of an upward trajectory that has continued this season as Leeds, alternating between three and four at the back, have remained unbeaten, like Newcastle.

A watershed perhaps came when England’s James Trafford arrived this summer from City for £40m – a record fee for a British goalkeeper. Given Newcastle had tried to buy Trafford on three occasions his signing represents something of a coup for Leeds. Throw in the abundance of diggers, hard hats and hi-vis vests on view at Elland Road as the stadium is expanded from a capacity of just under 38,000 to 53,000 and the sense of a club on the up is almost palpable.

“Something’s going well here,” Trafford said after signing. “They [the owners, 49er Enterprises] want to take the club back to where it has been historically and I think everyone here believes that is going to happen.

“With the energy, physicality and quality in this team anything is possible this season. The spirit is incredible. It’s really, really good and that can take you a long way.”

If such harmony can be attributed to Farke’s “no dickheads” policy when it comes to potential signings and the midfielder Ethan Ampadu’s impressive embrace of the captaincy, astute recruitment is steadily raising the team’s calibre.

The Bosnia and Herzegovina centre-half Tarik Muharemovic is proving an outstanding defender and a fine distributor. The £34m buy from Sassuolo is emblematic of the amalgam of robust athleticism and technical ability that increasingly characterises a Leeds team further enhanced by Harry Wilson’s arrival from Fulham.

Not that Farke is getting carried away. After seeing Trafford’s deputy, Michael Zetterer, overwhelmed as a rotated Leeds lost 6-3 at Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday he was not in the mood for excuses.

“Let’s be honest, it was a nightmare debut,” Farke said on Thursday. “You feel a bit for him, but sometimes in life you have the worst possible start. He will have pressure next time, but he’s a good goalkeeper. They live a privileged life and he’s playing for a big club.”

On Monday, he will offer Jaissle a somewhat warmer greeting. They share a friendship with Klopp and Thomas Tuchel, but the Newcastle manager’s recent posting in Jeddah with Al-Ahli helped ensure that, until now, their paths have not crossed.

“He’s made a bright start,” Farke said. “Newcastle are very dangerous, especially counterattacking and it will be difficult. But we want to be on top of their challenge. We want as many points as possible.”