How Daniel Farke has turned Leeds into a team in form
Leeds United beat Newcastle United 4-1 at Elland Road on Monday in a Premier League match, moving into third place in the early season table. The victory completed an unbeaten start under Daniel Farke and represented Leeds' best beginning to a top-flight campaign since 2001-02 under David O'Leary.
Farke, who was appointed Leeds United manager in 2023, has seen his side collect eight points from four games as the nascent table takes shape. The run of form can be traced to a tactical change made almost nine months ago when the German switched from a back four to a back three at half-time against Manchester City on 29 November; Leeds fought back from 2-0 down at the break to level at 2-2 before conceding in stoppage time at the Etihad Stadium. Beginning with the subsequent home win over Chelsea on 3 December, Leeds have lost only five of their past 29 league games, a sequence that would place them fifth in a hypothetical table for that period. That sustained improvement has reshaped perceptions of the club's prospects.
In the 2025 summer transfer window Farke and the club's new sporting director Adam Underwood prioritised length and physicality, bringing in 10 permanent signings of whom eight stand more than 6ft: Jaka Bijol, Sebastiaan Bornauw, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, James Justin, Lukas Nmecha, Noah Okafor, Lucas Perri and Anton Stach. On that recruitment strategy Farke said in July 2025: "I wouldn't say it's coincidence that they are all tall players but, of course, if you join the Premier League and you have one of the smallest groups, you expect that probably there is more pressure on you than there was in the Championship. You have to make sure that you're also good in defending crosses."
After losing centre-back Pascal Struijk to Brighton, Farke added World Cup players Tarik Muharemovic and Nico Elvedi to strengthen the defence. Muharemovic, despite an error that led to Bazoumana Toure's late consolation for Newcastle, has been notable and has played every league minute in front of 6ft 5in England international James Trafford, who "became the most expensive British goalkeeper in history for the second time when he joined for an initial £40m from City." Harry Wilson, who joined on a free transfer from Fulham, was also highlighted as a smart addition to the squad.
Leeds endured a difficult start to 2025-26, losing eight of their first 13 league games and sitting 18th at one stage, with reports suggesting Farke's position was under threat. The switch to a back three has had a measurable defensive effect: among the ever-present clubs in the division only Arsenal, City and Nottingham Forest have conceded fewer goals since the change. That defensive solidity has provided a platform for improved results and growing confidence.
The formation tweak has also benefited Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has 14 top-flight goals since last December — a tally bettered only by Erling Haaland, Ollie Watkins and Joao Pedro in that span. Having previously operated as a lone centre-forward in a 4-3-3, Calvert-Lewin has thrived with a strike partner, often Lukas Nmecha or Noah Okafor; Okafor has seven goals and an assist in his past 11 league appearances. Farke continues to alternate between 3-4-3 and 3-5-2, and Calvert-Lewin said: "I enjoy having bodies around me."
Elland Road hosted 36,693 fans on Monday as supporters celebrated the comprehensive win over Newcastle. The stadium has been strong for evening kick-offs in recent seasons: before consecutive losses to City and Sunderland in February, Leeds had gone 25 evening fixtures in league and play-off games without a home defeat, winning 20 and drawing five. The victory prompted renewed circulation of the "Daniel Farke Penitentiary" meme after new Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle's visit, and Farke enjoyed the supporters' adulation at full-time while he has "quite rightly played down early talk of European qualification," a run of form that has the Elland Road faithful imagining a return to the Champions League nights of a quarter of a century ago.
Crystal Palace are the visitors to Elland Road on Saturday, and Calvert-Lewin is aiming to become the first Leeds player to score in six consecutive league home games since Arthur Hydes in 1932. The former Everton forward missed out on a place in England's World Cup squad but, with three goals in all competitions this season, he "is surely in with a chance of an international recall on Friday as Thomas Tuchel prepares for the Nations League quadruple-header."
