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Short passes, a high-press, and much more: What Leeds United can expect from a Daniel Farke appointment
Relegated Leeds United made it clear that the four-game Sam Allardyce experiment was not to continue in the Championship.
That decision was made at the start of June and the Whites have been linked to a number of managers since making that decision.
One man on the list at the West Yorkshire outfit is former Norwich City manager Daniel Farke. Farke is available after leaving Bundesliga outfit Borussia Monchengladbach after one season in charge.
Leeds United fans are wanting a quick turnaround and some consistency after a series of recent patchwork appointments after sacking Marcelo Bielsa.
What Leeds United fans can expect from Farke…
Farke has a preferred 4-2-3-1 formation which utilises two defensive midfielders sitting in front of a back-four and behind a three-man, more advanced midfield.
Farke spent four-and-a-bit seasons in charge at Carrow Road, mixing imperious Championship form with a poor record in the Premier League.
His last two Championship campaigns with the Canaries saw him guide the East Anglian side to successive Championship titles – each time with a points-per-game average of more than 2.
In his last title-winning season – the 2020/21 Championship campaign – Farke’s Norwich side dominated possession (58.2%) and also completed a high percentage (82.8%) of their passes. His Canaries side completed 426 short passes per game – an amazing 83 more than any other side.
This is the kind of intensive game that Leeds United fans saw under Bielsa; it is the brand of football they grew to love. Added to this, Farke’s high-press approach saw Norwich lead the way with 15.6 shots per game.
Norwich’s possession-based, high-press football meant that they scored lowly on interceptions (20th with 9.8) and tackles (13th with 13.8) per game. However, rather than worry, this is something to be expected as it is normal for a team controlling the ball to not have much to do defensively.
Last time out, Farke led Borussia Monchengladbach to a 10th-placed finish in the Bundesliga. They finished as the fourth-highest passing side (514 completed) and maintained Farke’s possession-based (54%) model – also fourth-highest in the league.
Farke’s football allowed a struggling side to still manufacture 12 shooting opportunities per game with an impressive 5.1 (42.5%) of these on target. What might be a worry is a goal conversion rate of just 12.5% from total shots, rising to 29.4% for on-target shots.
What might be a big concern for Leeds United fans is Farke’s inability to get his sides to perform in the Premier League. The Canaries were relegated under him the first time around with a lowly total of just 21 points from their 38 Premier League games.
In conclusion, a Farke appointment would give Leeds United fans a manager who knows how to get a Championship side promoted. However, the flip side of that is that he has always struggled to stamp his authority in the Premier League.
All stats for Norwich and for Borussia Monchengladbach were taken from relevant WhoScored pages.
