With seven games left in the Premier League, it’s safe to say that Daniel Farke has gotten both right and wrong for Leeds United this season.
He will be the first to argue that the German team is four points out of the drop zone and has a long way to go before safety is confirmed, but it is certainly a very good case so far.
If Leeds survive this season, Falke himself will be highly valued. His mid-season changes to the system have transformed Leeds into a side that can avoid falling down the table and has the potential to become even more of a team in the coming years.
However, that doesn’t mean certain players aren’t doing their part.
How Falke transformed Leeds’ survival campaign
The 49ers certainly backed them up in the summer, spending a lot of money on the likes of Anton Stach and Xhaka Bihor, and they’ve been reaping the benefits ever since.
The former has been particularly impressive, and has been named one of the Premier League’s best creators so far this season.
Stach was one of the players who benefited the most from Falke’s system changes.
PL chance occurs on 25/26 | |
|---|---|
Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) | 99 |
Declan Rice (Arsenal) | 56 |
Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool) | 55 |
Anton Stach (Leeds United) | 54 |
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) | 52 |
The midfielder has kept quite a group of friends, but he is not the only star driving Leeds’ quest to remain in the Premier League.
Alongside Stutch, Los Blancos have had some unsung heroes throughout the campaign. Captain Ethan Ampadu, like Pascal Strujk, is well on his way to becoming a mainstay in the top flight.
Looks like he’s done with Leeds: £10m flop is now becoming the new Gerhard
This failure at Leeds United puts him on the path to becoming the next Joe Gerhart at Elland Road.
Meanwhile, Falke also discovered the perfect Stuart Dallas-Kalvin Phillips hybrid in the versatile Jayden Bogle.
The right-back, who spent time at Derby County and Sheffield United, has finally become a star in the Premier League.
Leeds have the perfect Phillips-Dallas hybrid
Just ask any team that has avoided relegation so far how important a player like Bogle is. They may be able to talk to Derby County for a longer period of time to maintain their top-flight status.
He won’t be grabbing the headlines at the end of the season, but there’s a reason he started 27 of 29 Premier League games.
It wasn’t just at right-back that Bogle distinguished himself. Like in Dallas during his time at Elland Road, he can play anywhere, featuring both in midfield and in Falke’s backline.
Few players make the step up to the Premier League as routine as the former Sheffield United player. He will be hoping to establish himself as a top class player in Yorkshire for years to come.
PL statistics P90 | Bogle 25/26 | Dallas 21/22 |
|---|---|---|
minutes | 2,410 | 2,922 |
tackle | 2.02 | 2.86 |
An opportunity has arisen | 0.52 | 0.95 |
won a duel | 4.29 | 5.67 |
collect | 4.44 | 6.75 |
Those numbers suggest Bogle isn’t far from the level Dallas displayed in his last season in the Premier League, and he could close the gap even further next season.
On the other hand, there are also things to think about regarding the England national team. If Thomas Tuchel has his eyes on Elland Road, Dominic Calvert-Lewin may not be the only player to have a seat on the plane.
The England manager has already shown that he doesn’t really care about the club’s standing. After all, he had no problem ignoring Real Madrid’s Trent Alexander-Arnold again last month, so the door could be left ajar for Bogle.
Leeds are ‘all in’ on signing a ‘sensational’ new striker who is ‘ready to go’ to play alongside Calvert-Lewin
Los Blancos are very keen on signing a new centre-forward.
The right-back position is highly competitive, but so is the midfield position that Phillips previously secured in his role at Leeds. If anyone is going to repeat the same move, it might be Bogle.
In a strange turn of events to be sure, the players who were on the brink of qualifying for the World Cup did no favors during the international break, drawing with Uruguay before losing to Japan.
In two months’ time, Bogle could help Leeds avoid a drop in the standings and be on his way to his first international tournament, just as Phillips did at Euro 2020.
