Daniel Farke’s substitutes proved to be game-changing as Leeds United earned a 1-0 win over Spurs on Saturday.
Despite Leeds looking like a side comfortably in mid-table, the last five games prior to Spurs had opened the door for criticism aimed at Daniel Farke.
The lack of attacking quality was a real concern. It’s clear that defensive solidity is the key focus, but it has sacrificed attacking potency of late.
Daniel Farke’s subs pay off as Leeds United stun Spurs late on
A major critique of Farke’s influence on the side is his subs, or lack thereof. Often, wins and draws have slipped away from the Whites in the second half thanks to subs that have taken the momentum away from Leeds, or a lack of subs to bring United back into control after the opposition grow into the game.
Against Spurs, though, it was the reverse. Gabriel Gudmundsson was forced off at half-time with what looked like hamstring trouble. In his place, Melvin Bard was exceptional as his left-wing-back replacement.
As the game wore on, it called for Farke to turn again to his bench to make good on Leeds’ growing dominance of the second half. Noah Okafor and Harry Wilson were introduced in place of Ao Tanaka and Lukas Nmecha.
Within two minutes of the pair being brought on, Wilson helped lay the ball into Okafor’s path, and Okafor scored the game’s only goal.
After so much scrutiny for his substitutions, it’s only fair that Farke gets the same level of credit when it pays off.
Dan James and Brenden Aaronson snubbed as Leeds United subs change the game
Interestingly, two of Farke’s typically most trusted options to use in attack were completely overlooked at Elland Road.
Brenden Aaronson and Dan James have often been favoured for their intensity out of possession. Leeds want to be hard to beat first and foremost, and these two have a big say in that, pressing from the front.
However, Farke going for Wilson and Okafor at 0-0 was a marked change from what we’ve seen previously. It felt like Farke was sensing the opportunity to win, rather than being happy to shake hands for a draw.
Leeds paid £25million apiece for these two. Of course, there are instances where they will be important in league games this season. Saturday was not one of those games. So, it’s refreshing to see Farke not going for the safe option out of habit.
