Senior figures at Leeds United expect Farke to lose his job if he cannot inspire his team to turn their fortunes around this week, according to a report from The Guardian. The club will host title contenders Chelsea and reigning champions Liverpool at Elland Road on Wednesday and Saturday, but failure to win either game could jeopardise Farke’s position at the club.
There is “sympathy for him in some quarters owing to a belief that results have not reflected some positive performances,” which could be suggestive of the notion that the German head coach’s job hangs in balance. Leeds collected eight points from their opening six league encounters, but are since experiencing a barren stretch of results which has seen them lose six of their last seven outings – four of them in succession.
Despite being backed with a £100 million (€114m/$132m) summer investment, Leeds find themselves battling for survival after a 100-pointer campaign in the Championship last season, which saw them win the second-tier. Following their most recent loss, a gut-wrenching 3-2 defeat at the Etihad against Manchester City, they are left languishing in 18th position on the Premier League. The good news is that a few positive results will give them breathing room and buy Farke the leeway he requires to save his job. The bad news? There’s not much time – or hope – left for that to happen, with Chelsea and Liverpool’s challenges on the horizon.
On November’s penultimate weekend, Leeds hosted Aston Villa after slipping into the relegation zone for the first time this season, following Nottingham Forest‘s shock 3-0 shellacking of Liverpool at Anfield and West Ham‘s draw with Bournemouth.
Things looked bright for the home side afer Lukas Nmecha fired his team into the lead in the eighth minute. However, all the hard work was undone courtesy a brilliant second-half brace from the magnificent Morgan Rogers.
While the loss undeniably soured the mood, the real spectacle came courtesy of a 61-year-old passionate Leeds fan. Seething with anger, he stormed from the stands and onto the pitch midway through the match, trying to confront Farke near the Leeds dugout, before being escorted off by stadium stewards. The fan got to within several yards of the technical area to bawl out at the 49-year-old, but the Leeds boss was totally unaware of everything else that had been unfolding before his eyes at Elland Road that day.
“Everyone is disappointed,” Farke told reporters after the game. “I don’t want one change in our supporters. I don’t want them to be happy after (we have lost) and to give some plaudits.
“We have a very passionate fan-base, and this is what we want – it’s a privilege. I don’t want our supporters to change one per cent. They should be angry and disappointed. I feel exactly the same, and for that, we would expect it, that it’s like this. I totally understand this.”
Ahead of Leeds’ opening day encounter against Everton in August, Farke made a determined vow to lead the club back to where it belongs – among the best in the Premier League. “I’ve always been in the mindset not to do the selfish things in my career, but to do things when I’m convinced ‘I need to do this’,” Farke said. “I want to leave this club in a better place than when I arrived. I’m just focused on taking the next step for Leeds United. I want to keep this club in the promised land. It’s a club which belongs in the Premier League. The fanbase is second to none.”
However, the reality stands in stark contrast, far from anything imagined more than three words since that promise, with Leeds ominously navigating relegation waters and Farke on the verge of being relieved of his duties.
In any case, Farke remains committed to the cause and has shown enough conviction to turn things around, at least as far as his words are concerned. “No. We don’t have to speak about this topic, because this is not a topic I think one second about, really not,” he responded when asked if he has received any reassurances from Leeds’ hierarchy.
“It’s not the question I am worried one second about. If you can’t handle the heat, don’t become a manager of Leeds United.”
According to the rumour mill, Leeds have started preparing for life after Farke. Two prime candidates who could be approached by the club in the near future are Brendan Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou.
Rodgers stunned Celtic supporters last month when he announced that he would be stepping down from his job at Parkhead. If reports are to be believed, he is eager for a Premier League return.
On the other hand, Postecoglou has had an exhausting past six months. He was sacked by Spurs right after they won the Europa League, but made an immediate return to coaching by taking over a struggling Nottingham Forest side following the departure of Nuno Espirito Santo. The Australian, though, lasted only eight winless games before being let go of. It is said that he’s not aiming for a return to managerial duties at the moment, but the Leeds job could interest him nonetheless.
