Leeds United versus Luton Town pits the people versus Daniel Farke — Graham Smyth's Verdict — YEP 6/4/25

By Graham Smyth

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke sent out the people's XI at Luton Town but once again found himself at odds with the people at full-time when it came to the result.

Farke's declaration that the 1-1 draw at Luton Town was a good point fell on a lot of deaf ears, though some later pricked up at the news that Sheffield United had lost against Oxford United. Rivals dropping points neither masks nor makes up for the fact that Leeds, at the absolute worst time, are not playing well but the Blades loss did at least make the top of the Championship table look kinder than it might have on Saturday evening. Burnley top with 84, Blades second with 83, Leeds third with 82. For fans who could sing 'we're Leeds United...we're top of the league,' for 16 match days from Boxing Day to March 15, it's natural to ask how did it get to this?

Firstly, neither Burnley nor Sheffield United went away for that entire period. Scott Parker's men are unbeaten in 27, Chris Wilder's men have won more games than anyone else in the division. So even if Farke's men were spectacular during their own unbeaten spell and even if they have just a single defeat in 23, that is what it has taken to just stay in the automatic promotion race. It is happening again, the Championship is charging 90-plus points just to let you leave.

Secondly, Leeds have been a pale imitation of themselves for a while now, failing to put together 90-minute performances, dominate defensively or sparkle offensively. As has been painfully obvious since last season ended the way it did, the grumbles about Farke, his style, tactics, substitutions and approach to rotation have always grown in volume during difficult spells and the heightened tension as Leeds struggle towards the season's conclusion is bringing them quickly to a crescendo.

Though he cannot be blamed when Manor Solomon misses a golden chance, as the winger did at Luton, or when Ao Tanaka fails to come away with the ball in a routine challenge on halfway, as the midfielder did prior to Leeds conceding, Farke has spoken some of the opposition he is facing into being in recent press conferences.

Farke on the defensive?

His declaration of 100 per cent confidence in securing Premier League status for next season was a little on the bombastic side, almost as if he was desperately trying to reel in a narrative before it got away from him. It irked those with much less faith in that eventuality coming to pass. His willingness to point out Tanaka's errors and the little dig at Largie Ramazani, while refusing to criticise Illan Meslier for his latest blunders, drew yet more fire in his direction. He has, over the past week or so, sounded more like a man feeling the need to defend his position than one simply explaining his thinking. There was an answer to a question at Luton that veered as close to rambling as we've ever heard him. Even if all of those utterances would have caused barely a ripple during a good spell, giving voice to the possibility of play-off involvement was either very brave or very foolish, given the skittish nature of a fanbase so fearful of getting hurt again. Everyone knows a third-place finish is possible, it's always there lurking in the backs of minds, but if you say it too many times might it not just jump out and become real?

Managers can help or hinder themselves with what they say before and after games but ultimately their results, strategies and team selections are what brings them glory or a sombre call from a CEO. Even if his introduction of defenders late in the game was criticised, Farke's initial team selection at Kenilworth Road was as close to that of the people than anyone could reasonably ask for. Karl Darlow came in for Meslier in an unavoidable change. Willy Gnonto took the place of Brenden Aaronson at long last. With Joe Rothwell injured, Tanaka joined up with Ethan Ampadu in a central midfield pairing many would suggest is Leeds' strongest.

Strong start went south

They started strongly enough, too. Ampadu and Tanaka got involved in early battles and came out on top. Darlow's quick throw put Solomon away for the first chance - a Dan James header that was easily saved. Thomas Kaminski was just about the busier goalkeeper in the opening 15 minutes, saving from both Junior Firpo and Solomon, but Leeds were very much in a game. And with a quarter of an hour gone they were behind in it.

Gnonto lost the ball under pressure deep in Luton territory, Tanaka failed to stop Elijah Adebayo from steamrolling his way into the Leeds half and he fed Jordan Clark. There followed a domino effect that cost Leeds. Joe Rodon moved in to try and stop the cross. Pascal Struijk was drawn that way too and so when the ball floated beyond them both Firpo was forced to try and cover Thelo Aasgaard in the middle, leaving Isaiah Jones free at the back stick to score unopposed. The alarming thing for the visitors was that had it not been Jones, there were others crashing the box unmarked, seemingly showing greater urgency to get there than those in white.

Leeds knew long before making the trip south that they would need to stand up to a buffeting but now they needed someone to stand up in possession and produce a big moment. It was clear that with the pitch playing a part in the frenetic pinball nature of the first half, sparkling football was going to be at a premium. When the equaliser came there was little surprise at whose boot it came from or that there was broken play in the build-up. A Leeds corner was defended handily enough, the ball came out to James and he cut past Adebayo to curl a beauty inside the far post.

Golden moment gone

There was precious little else to shout about in the first half, though, and the second was largely forgettable as a spectacle. Darlow made a strong stop from Aasgaard and Ampadu ramped up the physicality so that Leeds at least fought fire with fire in an ugly affair. It was plainly not a game for Gnonto, who was bypassed by the ball whizzing overhead and he made way for Patrick Bamford. The striker had just the one half chance, a low shot that was saved, but did more as a number 9 than Joel Piroe had by running in behind and stretching the play to create more space for Leeds to operate in the Luton half. With that little bit of momentum they freed James on the right and he crossed for what should have been the winner, only for Solomon to fluff his lines. The Tottenham loanee is without a goal or an assist in eight games and even if it was Ramazani - who did not get on the pitch and fell behind Isaac Schmidt in the substitution pecking order - being urged to 'step up' by Farke after the game, a player of Solomon's quality needs to start showing himself again now when it really matters.

What time there was left brought no real joy for Leeds and instead something else to worry about, as Struijk limped off with a foot problem of some sort. The loss of any key player to injury at this stage of the season is not what anyone wants or needs, particularly a team going through what is undoubtedly a rough patch. 

What next?

Farke takes Leeds to Middlesbrough next, where the sailing will be far from plain. There is a reason, though, that the Whites have 22 points more than Boro and by hook or by crook it must be seen in the result if not the performance. With six games to go there is no better time to return to winning ways than right now. This now is what's known in American sports as a gut check, a test of what Leeds have in their heads and their hearts. The nerves in the fanbase are understandable and each and every game now will be a little more fraught as urgency and what's at stake saturates the atmosphere.

The people aren't happy - even the reasonable-minded veterans who manage to stay cheerful on trains home. They won't be unless Leeds win games. This is not just a vocal minority on social media, either. At full-time at Kenilworth Road the noise and body language of many in the away end suggested that this could so easily and so quickly become the people versus Daniel Farke and there is only ever one winner in that kind of battle. It’s not one he or even the fans can afford to fight right now though, when only a united Leeds can succeed. At the Riverside the fans will be with him from kick-off and he must manage his team to play on the front foot and go after a result that keeps them with him. That is how the rest of this season needs to go.

When he was named Leeds United manager the whole world and his dog knew that he had but one job. It's time to complete it and give the people what they want.