Both Jaka Bijol and Daniel Farke have enjoyed turnarounds at Leeds in recent weeks.
The £15m summer arrival from Udinese was made to wait until the end of October for his first Premier League start, which came in the 2-1 win over West Ham, but has since nailed down a spot in the team.
Meanwhile, Daniel Farke has eased the pressure on his shoulders by overseeing a three-game unbeaten run with a new 3-5-2 formation, having previously struggled using a 4-3-3.
Jaka Bijol – who is able to play with both Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk in the new shape – has now spoken to BBC Radio Leeds about the tactical change.
Jaka Bijol delighted by Daniel Farke tactical switch at Leeds United
Farke was wedded to his 4-3-3 formation in the first 12 and a half Premier League games this season, a shape which yielded just three wins.
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The Leeds boss was full of praise for his opposite number
However, Leeds have been much better since the German switched to a 3-5-2 at half-time away to Manchester City, and Bijol is delighted that a change finally arrived.
The Slovenia international said: “It’s one of those things when it works better than something else. Having one formation makes it easier for our opponents, so now it makes it harder for everyone to prepare for us.”
With the new 3-5-2 formation, Leeds have managed to beat Chelsea, draw against Liverpool and also draw away to Brentford – who boast one of the best home records in the Premier League this season – so it is clearly working well.
Daniel Farke deserves credit but still wasted precious time at Leeds United
It was obvious that change was needed as Leeds endured a run of just one win in eight games before the 3-1 victory over Chelsea.
Fans were even growing frustrated with Farke – who seemingly had no intention of changing his approach – and wanted him to be sacked.
Simply put, the 3-5-2 formation should have been tested out many weeks before it actually was.
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Even us here on Leeds United News saw how Bijol’s arrival opened the door to using that formation, as we opined back in June, but it took Farke until the end of November to give it a go.
If Leeds still end up suffering relegation despite the recent upturn in form, fans will point to that period of stubbornness from Farke as a key factor.
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