The day after one promotion specialist of a manager departed, his survival mission ending in failure, another celebrated the greatest achievement of his career. Scott Parker is gone, but Daniel Farke has confounded many a doubter.
A three-time winner of the Championship has kept Leeds up with three games to go. And if it is not a mathematical certainly, no team has ever gone down with 43 points in a 38-game Premier League season. The choruses of “we are staying up” felt the safest of predictions.
Farke restricted himself to saying: “Forty-three points is good.” But this has been a triumph of him and of recruitment. It felt fitting that three summer signings scored for Leeds. Anton Stach and Noah Okafor arrived for £17m apiece, Dominic Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer that may render him the signing of the season. Burnley, whose demotion can be traced in part to their missteps in the transfer market, were duly condemned to a fifth consecutive defeat.
It leaves Leeds nine points ahead of Tottenham. This has been a surge to safety. “To deliver in such a pressure period from four Premier League games, 10 points,” marvelled Farke. “This is a sign if you deliver in the crunch time.” The catalytic result may have been beating Manchester United at Old Trafford. Leeds always had the insurance policy of home matches against Wolves and Burnley. They beat both, and emphatically.
Much like their manager, they have answered questions about their suitability for the top flight. When Leeds only scored one goal in their first four games, there was a theory they lacked sufficient firepower. Yet now they have 47 goals, as many as Aston Villa.
Perhaps paradoxically, they have become more potent after swapping to what is nominally a more defensive system. Farke’s preferred formation remains 4-2-3-1 but, if it looked like Leeds had overloaded on defenders in their summer buying, it was always with the thought they might play a back five. The turning point in their campaign came with Farke’s switch of system mid-match against Manchester City in November. Since the start of December, they have only lost four of their last 22 league games; only the Manchester teams and Bournemouth have been beaten fewer times.
“What we have done so far is outstanding,” said Farke. Leeds have had tactical nous, a side whose physicality was an illustration they learned the lessons of previous promoted teams who got outmuscled, and an asset in their atmosphere. They are specialists under the lights, with an excellent record in evening games. Elland Road delivered on another rousing occasion.
Undaunted by FA Cup semi-final defeat, Leeds looked a side intent on grasping their opportunity. They soon struck.
After Calvert-Lewin, Stach arguably ranks as the best signing Leeds made this season. The German illustrated why, driving in a 25-yard shot. “He is a bit weird and a crazy guy and he can be sleepy and cheeky but he delivers quality performances from the first day,” smiled Farke. A powerhouse of a midfielder with the ball-striking ability of a craftsman, Stach has been a bargain.
But his eighth-minute opener was an indication, too, of why Burnley are going down. In the opening 10 minutes of league games this season, they have conceded 10 goals and scored none. On this occasion, they at least had the mitigating factor that Parker had left the day before the game, Mike Jackson was plunged into caretaker charge and Burnley began looking dishevelled. “It has been a big shock with Scott leaving,” said Jackson.
His side regrouped only to concede twice more at the start of the second half. Okafor swept in a volley from Jayden Bogle’s cross. It was Okafor’s sixth league goal in seven appearances. Signed from AC Milan, the Swiss has delivered in the run-in. But it was a move started and then garnished by Calvert-Lewin, with a lovely backheel to find Bogle.
The centre-forward got his goal with a simpler touch, providing the close-range finish after Ao Tanaka’s low drive from parried by Dubravka. It was his 12th Premier League goal of the season to support Farke’s decision to make him his main top striking target last summer; for Calvert-Lewin, who rejected Champions League football with Bayer Leverkusen, this has been a reward for signing for Leeds. “We had smart and sustainable recruitment,” Farke added.
Loum Tchouna was to hook in a consolation goal for Burnley. He was a fourth summer signing to strike, but Leeds’ recruitment was both better than Burnley’s and more coherent as their paths diverged. They were promoted together with 100 points apiece but Leeds have more than double Burnley’s haul in the Premier League.
Whereas Elland Road was full and bouncing here, when Burnley’s fate was sealed last week, Turf Moor was emptying. There is already a vacancy in the dugout. Parker’s departure on Thursday may have only fast-tracked the inevitable.
Now Burnley have to work out what, and who, they want. There has been no contact yet with Steven Gerrard or Craig Bellamy, two obvious candidates, though their former assistant manager is likely to want to stay with Wales anyway. Rewind a year and Leeds faced a choice. There were suggestions that they should dismiss Farke, that he was hired to win promotion and incapable of keeping a team up. But he has, and how.
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