I played under Daniel Farke before £20m move - what he's just done at Leeds United doesn't surprise me at all
One of Daniel Farke’s former players gave his verdict on the recent form of Leeds United.
James Maddison hasn’t been surprised to see his former Norwich City boss Daniel Farke make key tactical tweaks to improve Leeds United’s recent form.
Farke has come under regular scrutiny this season for what some believe is an inability to adapt tactically, but the German answered a lot of those questions over the past fortnight. He switched Leeds to a 3-5-2 formation when 2-0 down at Manchester City and a more direct approach saw them fight back to 2-2 before falling victim to a late Phil Foden winner.
That same formation and approach saw Leeds overrun Chelsea on their way to a 3-1 win at Elland Road last week, while another big question mark was answered against Liverpool on Saturday. With the Whites 2-0 down, Farke made three substitutions just after the hour-mark that completely turned the tide, with introductions Willy Gnonto, Brenden Aaronson and Ao Tanaka playing key roles in a comeback to draw 3-3.
Farke reverted to a back-four which, alongside the above introductions, got Leeds back in the game. Gnonto won a penalty that Dominic Calvert-Lewin buried, Brenden Aaronson set up Anton Stach and then Stach’s back-post corner found Tanaka to squeeze in an added-time leveller.
Maddison was Norwich’s standout player during the 2017/18 campaign under Farke, with a tally of 14 goals and eight assists enough to convince Leicester City to form out £20m for his services. Now at Tottenham Hotspur, the attacking midfielder admits he was not taken aback to see the Leeds manager’s tactical nous shine through against top opponents.
“Daniel Farke was my manager at Norwich, which is 10 years ago now so that makes me feel old,” Maddison told Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football. “But yeah, there he was very tactically flexible.
“He liked having the tactics board and I remember him very specifically asking different roles of me within that time. So I know he is always thinking about the tactical side of things, so to see him changing the system and getting success from it at Leeds does not surprise me at all.”
A great week for Leeds United and Daniel Farke to build on
Those tweaks helped Leeds take four points from Chelsea and Liverpool, enough to pull them out of the relegation zone. Saturday’s point against the reigning Premier League champions even took them above Nottingham Forest and into 16th, courtesy of their superior goal difference.
Leeds can now look forward to a slight easing of their fixture schedule, having faced Aston Villa, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool in consecutive games. Farke’s side head to Brentford this weekend and still need to improve their results on the road, having only taken points from rock-bottom Wolves.
Farke has also earned himself crucial time, with just three games left to manage before the January transfer window opens, allowing him and those in charge at Elland Road an opportunity to strengthen. The Whites boss has hinted in recent weeks that mid-season business is possible despite managing director Robbie Evans saying in January the club are towards the edge of their maximum permitted losses as per PSR.