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“With that pressure on him…” – Paul Scholes delivers honest Daniel Farke, Leeds United verdict

LeedsAllOver · Niall Togher · 2026-08-17T17:57:11+00:00 · nguồn gốc

Leeds United are back in action this weekend. The Whites travel to take on Nottingham Forest in their first game of the new Premier League campaign on Saturday. Following on from the success Leeds had last season, all eyes will be on Daniel Farke to see what he can achieve in the upcoming campaign. A 14th-place finish and an FA Cup semi-final will be hard to top. But given the magnitude of some of United’s signings, Farke will be expected by most to finish higher next season. Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes recently shared his thoughts on the German manager before the new campaign, as Leeds look to further establish themselves in the top flight. Paul Scholes waxes lyrical about ‘brilliant’ Daniel Farke When Leeds were in the Championship, Farke’s tactical flexibility was often questioned by supporters. There were doubts as to whether he was the man to lead us back into the Premier League. Especially when considering his poor record in the division with Norwich. However, when United changed to the back three after enduring a difficult start to last season, Farke showed us that he has grown and developed as a manager. Typically, his teams are known for dominating the ball. But last season, Leeds were a physical, resolute outfit. They wouldn’t be afraid to go long but also played some tidy football in spells. When speaking to LeedsAllOver’s Kris Smith on the latest episode of The Overlap Fan Debate, Scholes had this to say about the Leeds manager. “I think he’s done a brilliant job, with that pressure on him last year. I think he’s built a really good team.” Scholes’ co-host Jamie Carragher also agreed. So after nearly losing his job before the start of last season as well as in November, it looks as though Farke has finally convinced the masses that he is the man to take Leeds forward. New expectations on Daniel Farke ahead of next season In Farke’s previous seasons managing in the Premier League, his only objective has been to stay up by any means necessary. But after the 49ers have spent £40million on James Trafford, £34million on Tarik Muharemovic whilst also bringing in Harry Wilson on a free, you would imagine they would want a season where they avoid flirting with relegation at all if possible. At this stage, I think qualifying for Europe is a little too ambitious. But after avoiding the drop relatively comfortably last season, with an improved squad, Farke will certainly be expected to do the same again. Personally, I think if we just stay up again at all costs, that is a successful season. But I think this opinion is not a widespread one within our fanbase, who will be expecting another mid-table finish. Hopefully we can look up the table more next season rather than looking over our shoulders. Our pre-season preparations certainly suggest this could be the case. But ultimately, a couple of injuries to key players could see us thrown into that relegation dogfight. Adequate depth needs to be brought in for the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Noah Okafor. Or else we risk suffering a similar fate to what happened under Marcelo Bielsa.