Daniel Farke has saved his job and thrown some credit in the bank over the last few weeks as Leeds United manager, after reports said he had two games to save his Elland Road role.
After six defeats in seven games following the loss against Manchester City, reports said Farke had to get a result against Chelsea or Liverpool. Well, he beat Chelsea, and Ao Tanaka scored to draw with Liverpool.
How long does Daniel Farke now have at Leeds? 🔮
Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and others on Farke's position…
Farke has saved his spot in the dugout when many were desperate for the club to offload him last month. But is Farke out of the woods yet? Absolutely not. Leeds still sit in 17th, three points above the drop zone.
The Whites are back on the point-a-game curve and will be hoping to take advantage of Palace’s injury woes on Saturday to perhaps obtain more points than games played. But Farke remains under pressure.
Simon Grayson feels Daniel Farke could leave in February
Leeds are in a good position. A win, which is foreseeable against Palace especially because they play 48 hours before Saturday night’s clash, could see Leeds go six clear of West Ham, who take on Man City.
That would secure Farke for a while. But Simon Grayson doesn’t expect Farke to see out the rest of the season. The former Leeds boss told the Don’t Go To Bed Just Yet podcast he could leave in the new year.
“I think it’s difficult to say to stick with him for the rest of the season. When somebody gets promoted, they should be given the opportunity until January or February to get players used to it. It’s so tough.
“The difference between the Championship and the Premier League is huge – quality, physicality. New players, Perri or Okafor, they’re still adjusting. Maybe they come to life in the second half of the season.”
Daniel Farke hits back after outside noise at Leeds United
“I’m not focused on myself. I mentioned outside noise. I quite like that, then the outside noise is a bit more on the manager and not on the players.
“So for me, I’m just fully focused on my team, how to help my team, how to back my team, how to lead my team.
“They need a leader who will stay calm and is not thinking about himself or what it means for his own career.”
Daniel Farke – speaking prior to Man City v Leeds
Simon Grayson says if he would have taken Brendan Rodgers
Only a handful of managers were linked with Leeds and one of those was Rodgers. Indeed, Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou were touted with Leeds simply because they had lost big jobs recently in the UK.
Leeds had actually wanted Rodgers before hiring Farke. But since then, Rodgers has become the new manager of Al Qadsiyah. Grayson says he wouldn’t have taken Rodgers at Leeds, in place of Farke.
“Brendan Rodgers was touted around. Would Brendan Rodgers have been any better than Daniel Farke? Not for me. I like Brendan, but Daniel knows it and sometimes as a manager, you just need extra time.”
This is the issue Leeds and the 49ers have, if they feel they need to replace Farke at some point down the line. There are not many better options available and that list lessens as the season gets older.
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