Team in form - how Farke has turned Leeds around

Leeds United’s rapid rise has placed the club third early in the Premier League season after a 4-1 home win over Newcastle United on Monday. Under Daniel Farke, the side remained unbeaten and recorded its best top-flight start since 2001-02, when David O’Leary led them. Leeds have 8 points from four games, but the turnaround started months earlier with a bold tactical change: switching from a back four to a back three at halftime against Manchester City on 29 November. After that shift, Leeds won at home against Chelsea on 3 December and have lost only five of their past 29 league matches. In the 2025 summer window, Farke and sporting director Adam Underwood signed tall players for the Premier League’s physical demands, including Jaka Bijol, Sebastiaan Bornauw, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, James Justin, Lukas Nmecha, Noah Okafor, Lucas Perri and Anton Stach.