"Don't want to" - Leeds United fans in Aston Villa disagreement with Farke decision and home crowd warning

Leeds United will resume their Premier League survival bid with Sunday’s huge visit of highflying Aston Villa - but what do the club’s fans think? Here is what our YEP Jury have had to say including disagreement on the predictions front and warnings about a Daniel Farke decision and the Elland Road crowd.

NEIL GREWER

Following recent poor performances something must change. It seems Daniel Farke is bomb proof at present, having enough “credit in the bank”, plus it must be said that Leeds are currently achieving the point per game target.

However, performances are worrying the fanbase along with a tough run of games coming up.

So changes must happen on the pitch. Against Forest, Leeds were too predictable with either Leeds choosing, or Forest forcing, Jaka Bijol to play inaccurate long balls out of defence.

Bijol has not yet been an upgrade on Pascal Struijk, certainly in the progressive side of the game.

Leeds favour the left side of the pitch, but to the point of almost neglecting the other flank.

Is this because Brenden Aaronson is no Dan James in the attacking sense?

Long cross-field balls are allowed and, as Forest proved, can impact a game.

Can a fit again Dan James or Willy Gnonto be a game changer? – they need to be!

Aston Villa arrive in Yorkshire on a roll and this game will be challenging.

A return to early-season form is required.

Prediction: Leeds United 1 Aston Villa 1.

“Don’t want to lose that hope”

DAVID WATKINS

The pressure has ramped up on Leeds, and Daniel Farke, after four defeats in five games has left the Peacocks perilously close to the drop zone.

Our visitors this weekend, Aston Villa, by way of contrast, have put together a superb run of five wins from their last six, including eye-popping victories against Spurs, Man City and, last time out, a 4-0 walloping of Bournemouth.

We can only hope that the international break has disrupted their flow.

Our record at Elland Road has been encouraging, just one defeat in five, and that was a narrow loss to Spurs in which we more than held our own.

So, if we can find our best home form again, there is no reason to believe we can’t get a positive result, a result we really need to settle the nerves, especially since we then face Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool in the space of eight days after that.

Only the most optimistic Leeds fan expects much from those.

I’m finding it hard to balance between head and heart for this one, but I think a win is vital to keep alive the hope that our home form can be key to survival, and I don’t want to lose that hope.

Prediction: Leeds United 2 Aston Villa 1.

ANDY RHODES

After the excitement of the international break, club football returns with Leeds United in a predicament.

The Whites need a win against a buoyant Aston Villa side which has won five of its last six league games. Unai Emery’s side started the season poorly but were always likely to improve.

By contrast, Leeds’ form has taken a downward turn and, with Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool to follow the Villa game, you would think that things won’t improve in the short term.

We need to hope for some magic from the player we know can provide it.

Lukas Nmecha showed his quality with his strike at Nottingham Forest, while Noah Okafor has the wildcard’s ability to find the back of the net.

Daniel Farke’s side started the season playing confidently against sides of Aston Villa’s quality, particularly at Elland Road.

If the Whites are suppressed or find themselves a goal down in the opening stages, the crowd could soon turn.

No-one ever wants to see that, but it might be inevitable in the upcoming run of games.

Prediction: Leeds United 1 Aston Villa 2.

“Of the people I usually speak to, there is little confidence in him”

KEITH INGHAM

Daniel Farke still has the backing of the 49ers. It has been rumoured in a national paper that he has to get four points out of his next four games to keep his job, starting with Villa on Sunday. It’s a tough ask with Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool to follow.

I’ve not met many Leeds fans that have 100 per cent confidence in the manager. Of the people I usually speak to, there is little confidence in him getting Leeds to safety and quite a few are annoyed he picks a player who offers little, leaving out others...and the strange case of Willy Gnonto who is training but not in matchday squads yet.

I think we might still see the ‘Medford Messi’ continuing on the right of the front three despite repeated calls for him to be dropped and either Dan James or Gnonto included. It’s one decision that ultimately might cost Farke his job.

I’m pretty sure that most who performed pretty poorly at Forest will start.

Hopefully the break will bring a more determined team than we saw there, especially the defensive side of things.

Conceding goals and not scoring goals isn’t a recipe for survival.

I expect to lose by a couple of goals and the crowd might just turn on the players and manager.

It’s sad, but this is football at the top level and it’s very unforgiving.

Prediction: Leeds United 1 Aston Villa 3.

MIKE GILL

If the Whites are to avoid the drop this season, the answers are likely to be found in their home form.

After the two worrying reverses at Brighton and Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest a tough challenge awaits at Elland Road against improving Aston Villa.

They sit in sixth position in the Premier League but if they have one small chunk in their armour it is their away form.

The Villains have only recorded one win on the road so far this season when they beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 after falling behind early in the game.

Daniel Farke has had time to reflect on his own team’s performance, although with a large number of players on international duty, the opportunity to try any radical changes will have been limited.

Given that our offensive limitations are understood and accepted, the need to tighten the defence has to be a major priority.

Better back-tracking by our forwards and improvements in the centre of defence are the main priorities.

The return of Pascal Struijk and a fit Willy Gnonto would give a more solid look to the side but we will just have to wait and see.

Prediction: Leeds United 1 Aston Villa 1.