Leeds United lost with a terrifying performance befitting of Halloween weekend when they fell 3-0 to Brighton on Saturday.
It didn’t take long to realise Leeds United were in for a long afternoon, with Brighton roaring out of the traps and going ahead after just 11 minutes through Danny Welbeck.
Leeds were sloppy on the ball, hardly capable of stringing a pass together, while Gabriel Gudmundsson was rinsed like a flannel by Yankuba Minteh time and again.
They managed to get in at the break just one goal down but a Diego Gomez brace sealed the defeat, which was littered with dreadful showings from Ethan Ampadu, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jaka Bijol, too.
Yet, Daniel Farke must shoulder a lot of the blame for the defeat as it was his tactics that set Leeds up for their shocking start that they could not recover from, which was epitomised by Ao Tanaka in the 16th minute.
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Daniel Farke’s tactical approach cost Leeds United vs Brighton
Other than title favourites Arsenal, Leeds have been competitive in every other Premier League fixture before Brighton by being aggressive, pressing high and getting stuck in to their opponents.
Yet, for some unfathomable reason, Leeds did not play on the front foot at the Amex and instead were clearly instructed to sit deep and allow Brighton to have the ball.
This completely threw everyone off their game and they looked extremely uncomfortable, especially as Brighton thrive with time on the ball.
It couldn’t have been in steeper contrast to last week’s win against West Ham, in which Leeds pressed high and scored after three minutes.
It was clear within two minutes that Leeds were not going to win, but the 16th minute, with the score already 1-0, is what really summed up Farke’s wrong approach to the game.
Brighton were practically playing walking football, they had that much time on the ball. Defender Jan Paul van Hecke was in possession and was literally standing still as he took his time to pick out his next pass.
Tanaka was the closest player to the centre-back, but had no idea what to do. The confusion was evident in his body language as he instinctively wanted to press the ball but remembered he was supposed to be sitting off, leading him to be completely ineffective and Leeds’ midfield easy to play through.
Managers are allowed to make mistakes. They happen. But Farke can’t afford too many more without coming under serious pressure, especially with Nottingham Forest up next.
Daniel Farke’s reaction to Brighton defeat
Farke, as he tends to do, looked on the bright side and once again pointed to stats that backed up his claim that Leeds had some good moments in the match.
This is always the manager’s approach to big defeats, as he tries to keep a cool head and look for positives, though it can be frustrating for supporters when a spade isn’t called a spade.
Speaking after the match, Farke said: “We don’t have to over-analyse the game.
“There is no sugarcoating, they were the better side. Overall, in the game, it was quite equal – 50/50 possession. But out of their possession, they were far more clinical.
“We didn’t start very well. We weren’t brave or confident. If you’re 1-0 down in the away game, it’s always difficult. After that, I was impressed with how we handled it.
“Deliveries were not as good and missed chances. Felt we were not that far away from equalising then we gave the 2-0 and 3-0 in quick succession.”
When asked if there were any positives, he added: “Reaction after 10 minutes.
“Bringing the ball in the opponent’s half, keeping possession. It was important that we showed class and team spirit.
“This is what we did. Lukas had a great chance, could have perhaps taken a first. Overall wasn’t our best day.”
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