The criticism is aplenty for Daniel Farke at the moment with the Leeds United promotion train coming to an abrupt halt, as The Whites slip into third place in the Championship table.
It might only be one defeat in the last 24 Championship games for Leeds, but it is also three draws in a row and just one win from six. It has seen Leeds surrender a five-point lead at the top of the League.
Now, Leeds sit in third place following Saturday’s poor 1-1 draw against Luton Town. Dan James netted his 11th goal of the season but only in reply to Isaiah Jones opening the scoring, netting past Karl Darlow.
Farke will know his job is on the line. Failure to get promoted will surely see the German relieved of his duties and even promotion via the play-offs may see Leeds decide to sack Farke, even if Leeds do go up.
Manager Leeds overlooked for Daniel Farke beats Real Madrid
It is two years since Farke took the job at Leeds. A job that Farke has wanted ever since coming to Elland Road as Norwich manager in 2019, with the German picked for his two Championship titles at Norwich.
There were a few managers in the running. Burnley’s Scott Parker is showcasing what he could have done at Elland Road now at Turf Moor, while Carlos Corberan was also entertained regarding a possible return.
Then a West Brom manager, now at Valencia in La Liga. He was tasked with keeping Valencia in Spain’s top tier and is doing so with aplomb – masterminding a stunning win over Real Madrid on Saturday.
Carlos Corberan shines as Daniel Farke struggles at Leeds
Corberan has enjoyed a solid managerial career since Leeds. Play-off final with a poor Huddersfield side earned him a move to Olympiakos, but struggles in Greece saw him return to England with West Brom.
On a shoe string, he guided West Brom to the play-offs again and looked as though he would do again this season, only for Valencia to come calling. Gary Neville’s old side were in the bottom three on arrival.
Leeds beat Valencia in pre-season. But, eight wins in 16 games and four losses have seen Corberan guide his Valencia side to 14th, seven points clear of the La Liga relegation zone – at the time of writing.
On Saturday, Corberan watched his side take the lead through Mouctar Diakhaby before Vinicius Junior netted an equaliser, assisted by Jude Bellingham. But on 95 minutes, Hugo Duro scored a late winner.
So while Leeds fans are forced to watch Farke make claims like he is “100% convinced” that Leeds will be in the Premier League next season and then draw to 23rd in the league – Corberan is beating Real Madrid.
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