Leeds United could be forced into a decision on Daniel Farke’s position as manager after a woeful defeat and performance away at Nottingham Forest.
You could argue today was must win. Today was definitely ‘must not lose’, though, and that was the way it went despite a bright start.
Lukas Nmecha’s fine finish was as good as it got at the City Ground against Nottingham Forest. His brief flash of brilliance was the only time Leeds ever looked up to scratch on Sunday afternoon.
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Is Daniel Farke set to be sacked as Leeds United manager?
A defeat like that is inevitably going to see all the focus on the manager. Daniel Farke has done remarkably well to get United back into the Premier League, and there’s been plenty to like in the early stages of this season.
However, some plucky performances haven’t yielded nearly enough as Leeds come out of a favourable four-game stretch with three losses against Burnley, Brighton, and Nottingham Forest.
Daniel Farke might be facing the sack at Leeds United this weekend. (REUTERS/Chris Radburn)
It leaves Farke surely facing big questions about his future at the club. Leeds are just a point outside the bottom three, but our run up until New Year’s Day consists of:
Aston Villa (6th, home)
Manchester City (2nd, away)
Chelsea (3rd, home)
Liverpool (7th, away)
Brentford (12th, away)
Crystal Palace (10th, home)
Sunderland (4th, away)
Liverpool (7th, home)
Jesse Marsch ‘Groundhog Day’ decision for 49ers as Daniel Farke faces Leeds United sack decision
A decision has to be made one way or another this weekend on the manager. The results above suggest it is very likely to get worse for Leeds before it gets any better.
If this is to be the end of the road for Farke, it’s an ironic repeat for Leeds that the 49ers are going to oversee.
The last time Leeds were defeated away at the City Ground was back in February 2023. It was again a poor performance where Leeds faced a Forest side that were in a dire position in the relegation battle, and again weren’t nearly as ruthless as their counterparts. That game signalled the end of Jesse Marsch’s time at Leeds.
Jesse Marsch’s time at Leeds United came to an end after a bad defeat away at relegation rivals Nottingham Forest. (REUTERS/Carl Recine)
With Forest now closing the gap in the bottom three to Leeds, it puts massive pressure on the club to make a decision. Should Farke leave, it sees a repeat of Forest being the final nail in Marsch’s coffin at Elland Road.
The only difference this time is that Leeds wouldn’t have waited until the season got badly off the rails before making the call.
Read more: How Leeds United were beaten 3-1 at Nottingham Forest…