Leeds United have already shown they can score goals by the bucketload. Their win over Cardiff City was ruthless. After scoring nine goals in five league games in January, they scored seven in one on the first day of February.
The Championship leaders just keep on rolling. They added two more goals against Coventry City at the Coventry Building Society Arena four days after their Bluebirds to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to 14 matches and maintain a five-point lead over Burnley at the top of the table.
The Premier League beckons. Sheffield United are five points behind Leeds but they have a game in hand on the top two. It’s hardly an insurmountable gap; for Burnley and the Blades, the formidable obstacle in their path is simply: Leeds United.
Leeds are marching towards promotion under Daniel Farke
Coventry City are starting to find their feet under Frank Lampard, ranked at No.3 in FourFourTwo's list of the best Premier League midfielders of all time, and deservedly won four consecutive Championship fixtures before bumping up against the division’s unstoppable force and immovable object rolled into one.
Leeds scored twice in the space of ten first-half minutes – Joel Piroe capitalised on slack defending and Jayden Bogle benefited from a handling error by Sky Blues goalkeeper Oliver Dovin at the end of a terrific solo run – and they should have added a couple more.
Leeds were worthy winners but also extremely wasteful. They had chances that were finished poorly, and they had counter-attacks that took them in behind the Sky Blues but came to nothing. Dovin was excellent in the face of frequent fire in the second half but can only take part of the credit for keeping the score down.
Manager Daniel Farke summed it up when he spoke to the media after the game. Leeds were very good but not perfect. Away wins against in-form opposition are to be enjoyed and celebrated but the details must be picked over too.
Failing to put the ball in the net, so freely achieved in the previous game, had clearly irritated him. Farke’s analysis of his team’s performances oozes expectation. He knows he has the best team in the division. He wouldn’t admit it, but he knows they’re halfway to promotion. His job is to demand the highest standards even in comfortable victory.
“We were pretty wasteful in using the chances,” he admitted. “We have to be much more efficient because when you play such a strong home side you normally can’t waste too many chances. [But] I want to be respectful and the 2-0 win is great.”
Farke’s happiness was laced with small frustrations and he didn’t shy away from any of them.
“We have to bury the game but this is more or less the only thing I can criticise today. This was a top-class performance for my boys and many compliments for that. I was annoyed with the yellow card we conceded. I was annoyed that in stoppage time my left back is complaining at the referee and doesn’t run back.
“Also details against the ball were far away from a perfect performance. It was not just that we were wasteful in using the chances. There were also a few situations in the game when we were not spot on, and they can be costly.”
Perfecting the details is a noble but impossible pursuit. That won’t deter Farke as he aims to take Leeds back into the Premier League.
The former Norwich City boss likes his team to practice “good tactical behaviour as a group” and values players who are diligent when pressing and counter-pressing, something he’s keen to highlight after impressive performances.
It’s in transitional moments that Leeds catch the eye but the real work is done in the other phases of the game. Farke explained after their win against Coventry that the Whites’ pressing game and possession aren’t just about scoring goals but keeping them out too.
“[The key to clean sheets] is being dominant in possession,” said Farke, whose team haven’t conceded a league goal in the last five games.
“As long as we have the ball and don’t score own goals, the opponent can’t score. Going in the lead is always important because it opens up the opponent a bit, and we can also sometimes sit even a bit deeper in order not to take too much risk in our pressing.”
Dominant is the word. Leeds were happy to concede some possession once they were two goals ahead at Coventry but they thrive with the ball.
With almost 62% possession on average in the Championship this season, Leeds are the division’s gleeful ball-hoggers and Farke’s plan is to drag them into the top flight by playing that way.
Leeds have completed more than 1,000 more passes and had 1,000 more touches this season than Norwich, the team with the second-most pass completions and touches, yet they have attempted the fewest passes longer than 30 yards.
Leeds don’t play in a way that stifles or strangles the opposition. It doesn’t feel claustrophobic to watch them, nor is it unattractive or boring. They’re too explosive in transition for that.
But they’re cruising towards promotion through sheer dominance of the ball. They have the squad for it and a manager who drills it into his players and demands it both as a style and a winning tactic.
Taking the ball off Leeds might be the only way to stop them. With Farke keeping the details sharp and expecting maximum tactical discipline from his players, that’s far easier said than done.
