Liverpool legend's honest assessment of Daniel Farke with Leeds United Premier League survival verdict
The Leeds United boss has enjoyed a better start to a Premier League season than either attempt with Norwich City.
Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann had backed two of his German compatriots to keep Leeds United in the Premier League.
Daniel Farke faced almost immediate questions over his Premier League credentials after guiding Leeds to a 100-point, Championship title-winning campaign earlier this year. That was mostly due to the German’s previous top-flight stints as Norwich City boss, one of which ended in relegation while the other saw him sacked by November.
The Leeds boss has shown a willingness to adapt this time, however, recruiting physically dominant players and harnessing their strengths with a direct style and focus on set-pieces. Six-foot-four-inch midfielder Anton Stach, signed from Hoffenheim in a £17.4million deal, typifies the more robust approach even if he’s been short of his best in recent weeks.
“I think with the signing of [Dominic] Calvert-Lewin, he obviously knows that physicality is a big thing in the Premier League,” Hamann told Footballblog.co.uk. “It obviously was in the Championship as well. He's always been very pragmatic. But I think even now, I think he's even a touch more pragmatic.
“He sees that you need to cover certain bases to get results. I really like what they do. I like that team. There’s Anton Stach who came from Hoffenheim, who's doing well. Obviously he didn't play on the weekend. I think he's a very smart manager. One of his biggest strengths is probably the way he adapts to situations.”
Farke’s third attempt at Premier League survival has started better than the previous two, at least. Norwich were 19th after 10 games in 2019/20 and the German was sacked on this exact day back in 2021, following a run of eight defeats in 11.
Leeds United’s Premier League survival chances rated
Leeds are currently two places and four points clear of West Ham in 18th, which means they are guaranteed to enter the November international break outside the relegation zone. How far clear they sit depends on whether they can get a result at Nottingham Forest on Sunday and how Burnley fare against the Hammers.
Things get a little tricky after the two-week break with difficult fixtures against Aston Villa, Chelsea and Liverpool on the horizon. But Hamann expects Farke to adapt further when faced with elite-level opponents and ultimately guide Leeds to safety.
“This is why I will give Leeds a very good chance to stay up this season,” he added. “If they do that, Farke deserves enormous credit. Not many promoted teams stayed up in recent years. This year all three are doing well, you've got to say, because I thought they're the most likely to go down before the season started.
“But Burnley is doing well and Sunderland is doing exceptionally well. It will be a big achievement for any of them, including Leeds, to stay up. I think they've got a good team. I think he's got a great chance to keep them up. I think he will keep them up and I think it will be a great achievement to do so.”