Daniel Farke þjálfari Leeds United var hress eftir skemmtilegt sex marka jafntefli gegn Liverpool í ensku úrvalsdeildinni um helgina.
Öll mörkin voru skoruð í seinni hálfleiknum og hefur Farke fengið mikið hrós fyrir frammistöðu Leeds í síðustu leikjum.
Það eru aðeins nokkrir dagar liðnir síðan fjölmiðlar á Englandi sögðu þjálfarastarf Farke vera í hættu en stjórnendur Leeds virðast hafa skipt um skoðun eftir magnaða frammistöðu í vikunni.
Lærlingar Farke lentu tveimur mörkum undir á Etihad Stadium, heimavelli Manchester City, en náðu að koma til baka og jafna leikinn í síðari hálfleik. Það dugði þó ekki til útaf sigurmarki frá Phil Foden sem kom í uppbótartíma.
„Þetta var magnað kvöld," sagði Farke við myndavélarnar eftir 3-3 jafntefli gegn Liverpool. „Stuðningsmenn voru skiljanlega í miklu stuði eftir sigurinn gegn Chelsea, þetta var einstök stund sem við deildum í kvöld. Ég faðmaði forsetann (Paraag Marathe) og hann hrósaði mér fyrir góða frammistöðu í síðustu leikjum.
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On a night when many thought Farke's future was on the line, the Leeds boss appeared to find the formula that could save his job with a shift in formation to 3-5-2 delivering emphatically.
But he rejects the notion that he was thinking about being sacked if there had been a different outcome.
"I'm not fighting for my job," he says. "I'm not wasting any energy thinking about myself. If you want to lead such a passionate club like Leeds United you have to focus all your energy to help the boys, to be a shield for the players and to protect them.
"I did not apply for this job; our board convinced me two-and-a-half years ago to sign the contract. I'm not fighting for a job, I'm fighting for my boys. We are so desperate to be the first side in the last 25 years to establish this club in the top flight."
Another big win at Elland Road this Saturday under the lights against a beleaguered Liverpool - live on Sky Sports - would go a long way to shutting down the speculation that has surrounded Farke since he won promotion to the Premier League.
He has already bought himself time after seeing his tactical tweak pay off. The win over Chelsea was the first time in his 109 league games in charge of Leeds that Farke had not started with four at the back.
The inspiration, of course, came from that spirited second-half fight-back in the defeat at Man City a few days earlier after the change in shape. Over the last three halves of football, Leeds are 5-2 up against City and Chelsea, providing hope for fans that this is the path forward.
However, Farke does not see it quite as simply. "Of course, it's the first time that we started with this base formation, if you want to label it in this way, but for me base formation means nothing. It's all about the principles and the execution.
"I never put a performance or result down to base formation, otherwise it would be easy. You play 3-5-2 and you beat Man City or Chelsea. It's not as simple as that."
Farke does say this could become his new base formation and, although principles are king for the Leeds boss, you can see why. The 3-5-2 formation plays to the strengths of his squad and makes the most of a summer recruitment drive focused on signing giants.
Gabriel Gudmundsson and Jayden Bogle are ready-made wing-backs and the shape hides Leeds' deficiencies in attacking wide areas, while Jaka Bijol looks far more comfortable in a back three protected by captain Ethan Amapdu in holding midfield.
Most importantly, this shape lends itself to Leeds playing more direct into two strikers, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nemecha, no longer isolated on their own up front. They form the top of a strong spine that plays in the way Elland Road demands.
Athugasemdir
