Joe Rodon on Leeds United's adaptability which has been the making of them this season — Yorkshire Post 9/5/26

By Stuart Rayner

Working out the turning point in Leeds United's season is not difficult. Sometimes there comes a moment which bangs heads together and sets things straight for the week to come – usually a heavy defeat.

But the change in newly-promoted Leeds’ 2025-26 was less about getting their heads right, more a tactical rethink which showed the adaptability of the Elland Road players, not to mention a manager who was being caricatured as too stubborn.

The formalities need to be concluded – perhaps by an Arsenal win at West Ham United on Sunday, or Leeds matching the Hammers' result at Tottenham Hotspur the night after – but the Whites would have to properly Devon Loch it to follow Burnley (twice), Leicester City, Ipswich Town, Southampton, Sheffield United and Luton Town in the last two years and go straight back down in their first season back in the Premier League.

Just dipping their toe into the relegation zone was enough to prompt a rethink, and the positivity they took from what should have been a painful defeat at Manchester City – fighting back from 2-0 down only to lose 3-2 to a stoppage-time goal by Phil Foden – galvanised them and pointed the way to a successful season.

But as Joe Rodon acknowledged, it might not have counted for very much had they not followed it with four points from home games three days apart against club world champions Chelsea and English champions Liverpool.

"It was just unfortunate not to come away with something but I think that set-up and performance injected confidence into everyone," says Rodon of the trip to Manchester at the end of November.

"But we just looked at each other as players and going into the Chelsea game we all said to ourselves, 'It's time to put points on the board. It's time to start winning games.'

"One moment can lead to a lot of things. Even though we didn't come away with anything at City, it was just the belief and the understanding that we do belong here.

"We just came together as a squad and we knew what had to be done. Confidence is a huge thing in football.

"The Chelsea game at home was a massive moment, especially winning. Those three games in a week were crucial.

"We were at home and the fans are brilliant at home, especially the night games. But I think the unity and the togetherness – not just the players but everyone, the staff, the club and the fans, everyone together – we've just kind of grown from that."

The 3-1 win lifted Leeds out of the relegation zone again, never to return.

Nottingham Forest and Tottenham have sacked two managers this season, West Ham one. So it is probably fair to say Daniel Farke was lucky to keep his job after four straight defeats, six in seven matches, and only wins over West Ham and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 13 games after kicking off the season by beating Everton.

The mood when Leeds threw away a 1-0 lead to lose at home to Aston Villa and drop into the relegation zone was fractious. City, Chelsea and Liverpool were next, and December also saw a trip to Anfield and a visit from Manchester United.

After the Villa game, The Yorkshire Post’s Leon Wobschall described Farke as being “on dangerous ground”. Sky's co-commentator for the Chelsea win, Gary Neville, recently said it felt at kick-off that night like he was "a dead man walking".

His stubbornness, tactically and when it came to substitutions, were held against him but at half-time at Eastlands something had changed.

At previous clubs Norwich City and Borussia Monchengladbach, as at Leeds in the Championship, Farke was a 4-2-3-1 manager. Back in the Premier League he recruited physical players for a 4-3-3 formation, and until then he had stuck to it.

The story goes that, with his side 2-0 down, he switched to 3-5-2 at half-time and never looked back. It is not quite that straight-forward. The two big men up top that caused City so many problems quickly morphed more often than not into a 3-4-2-1, with occasional switches to four at the back when the situation demanded.

Anton Stach, a box-to-box midfielder in part one of the season, was more often used at inside-right, and Brenden Aaronson's relentless running had more effect from his role behind a less isolated Calvert-Lewin. So did Noah Okafor’s skills.

Although his position was different, Jayden Bogle coudl play more like the man who had rampaged up and down the right in the previous season, and Gabriel Gudmundsson enjoyed the freedom too.

Calvert-Lewin's goal to start the fightback at City was only his second in a Leeds shirt but he scored six in his next five games.

And perhaps least heralded but very importantly, summer signing James Justin made his first Leeds start. Whether at left-back, as in Manchester, right or left wing-back, or over- or underlapping from either side of the back three a la 2019-20 Sheffield United, he has been outstanding.

"JJ's been brilliant since he's come in," acknowledges Rodon. "You're going to need players like this to be successful.

"He's experienced at this level as well. He's got over 100 Premier League games (99 with previous club Leicester City).

"That was a key part for us, bringing players like this into the squad to kind of keep us steady along the way. You need players who are just going to come in and do that because it is such a physical demanding league and you're not always going to have people available."

Jaka Bijol – shaky when he finally broke into the team – scored against Chelsea and never looked back. He flourished in a back three, which meant Rodon having to test himself in different ways at times.

"I've had experience with that (back three) system quite a bit," says the Wales international. "We do have very good physical players in this team so it kind of catered to us a bit more maybe.

"But we don't want to be just stuck with one formation. And I'm sure the boss wants us to be adaptable playing in both systems.

"Since I've been here, we've mainly played in a back four but even in pre-seasons, we have worked on these systems. We haven't just stuck to one.

"It's important to be adaptable. We have players who can be suitable to both.

"A lot of teams go man for man and as the middle centre-back (in a three) you're on your own one-v-one. I love this, it's a big part of my game.

"But I've been playing on the right side a lot now, which is more up and down, so I'm getting to show both sides. I popped up as a right winger at Crystal Palace!

"I don't mind what position I play. As long as I can help them be successful for the team, that's all that matters.

"The word keeps coming up: adaptable."

If you had to boil Leeds' turnaround to one word, it would have to be adaptability.