Leeds United look set to avoid being relegated from the Premier League this season.
The Yorkshire club were one of the favourites to drop back down to the Championship this season. That’s been a common theme for newly promoted clubs of late, but Leeds look set to defy the odds.
Leeds are currently unbeaten in their last six Premier League games, during a crucial period that could have seen them dragged into the mix.
Their recruitment has played a crucial role in changing the narrative around promoted sides, perhaps setting the blueprint for how to avoid relegation.
In this article, we’ll cover
Recruitment is key
As mentioned, Leeds’ recruitment has been a key reason for their strong campaign under Daniel Farke.
The Yorkshire outfit heavily focused their recruitment on signing physically dominant players, sacrificing a little technical ability. That’s a huge difference to some of the sides who have recently been promoted.
Think Southampton under Russell Martin, or Burnley under Vincent Kompany. They prioritised signing players to suit a possession-based style, but struggled to deal with the physicality of the league.
Leeds predominantly signed players over six feet tall. And it’s benefited them at both ends of the pitch. Their recruitment was smart and measured, bringing in free agents and bargain additions from around Europe.
The Premier League is becoming more physical, and Leeds avoided any naivety coming into the season.
Placing their relative success solely on recruitment would be a disservice to Farke. The Leeds boss has done a superb job to get them where they are. And, for that, he deserves plenty of credit.
Flying full-backs
A key factor of Farke’s system has been Leeds’ full-backs.
With Leeds’ two attacking players behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin playing fairly central, Farke likes his full-backs to play almost as wing-backs.
The likes of Jayden Bogle and Gabriel Gudmundsson like to get forward and provide width. It makes it difficult for opponents to pick them up as they run from deep.
Bogle, for example, averages 2.11 open-play crosses per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season., Gudmundsson has averaged a whopping 2.97.
The full-backs allow Leeds to have width in their side going forward, with the attacking players tucking into the middle to create that central dominance.
Central dominance
As previously mentioned, Leeds like to dominate the central areas, where their more physical players usually are.
This is where Leeds excel, winning 52.31 duels per game, only bettered by two sides in the Premier League.
Stach has taken a lot of the plaudits, perhaps due to his threat going forward. But Ethan Ampadu has been a huge positive this season alongside him. Between them, they average 11.07 duels won per 90.
With Leeds’ attacking players, behind Calvert-Lewin, also tucking into central areas, this makes it difficult for the opposition to break through in the buildup. Leeds have been difficult to break down, certainly relative to their level, while also providing a threat in the final third.
Set-piece specialists
Another key part of Leeds’ success has been their dominance from set-pieces.
Farke’s side have averaged 5.06 shots per game from set-pieces, more than any other side. And their 0.49 non-penalty goals from set-pieces ranks third in the league.
The set-piece ability of Stach, who creates 2.48 chances per 90, has certainly helped that, but the physical dominance in the box is also a huge benefit.
A large part of their attacking success has come down to their physicality, whether that be through set-pieces, winning the ball back high up the pitch, or getting crosses into the box.
Getting the best out of Calvert-Lewin
The signing of Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer last summer has been a bit of a masterstroke from Leeds. It might have felt like an obvious move, but nobody else was willing to take a chance on him.
The English striker has struggled with injuries throughout his career, but he thankfully appears to be over them for the most part. Now, he’s thriving at Elland Road, with Farke getting the best out of him.
Calvert-Lewin is averaging just over one shot from a header per 90 in the Premier League this season, ranking him fifth in the league. The former Everton man is also averaging 0.54 Expected Goals per 90, showing that they are creating chances for him in dangerous positions.
Calvert-Lewin thrives when he’s in and around the box. When he’s forced to drift out wide or run the channels too often, that’s when he can struggle, and you simply won’t get the best out of him.
Having the likes of Noah Okafor and Brendan Aaronson nice and close to him has also benefited him. This allows Calvert-Lewin to hold the ball up and bring others into play, something he does so well when he’s not isolated.
Remaining in the Premier League will have been Farke’s main aim heading into the season, and he looks set to achieve that with a bit of breathing room.