What Sunderland can learn from Leeds United and Daniel Farke as Régis Le Bris searches for answers
Leeds backed Daniel Farke through a relegation scare and were rewarded with recovery – offering Sunderland a timely lesson
Sunderland need only look at their next Premier League opponents for evidence that an alarming autumn does not have to define a season.
Leeds United endured their difficult spell under Daniel Farke last term, with results deteriorating and scrutiny growing over whether the manager who delivered promotion could keep them in the division.
After ten games, Leeds were 16th with 11 points, having won three, drawn two and lost five. Further defeats against Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa left them in the relegation zone, with their points total unchanged after 12 matches.
Farke was under pressure. Leeds eventually finished 14th with 47 points. That recovery offers Sunderland something worth considering as Régis Le Bris attempts to arrest a worrying start to the campaign. It also underlines that backing a manager and expecting him to change are compatible positions.
The significant moment for Leeds came during their November trip to Manchester City. Trailing at the break, Farke switched to three at the back and gave his side a different way of competing. They still lost that afternoon, beaten by a late Phil Foden winner, but the adjustment helped establish the foundations for their improvement. Leeds subsequently beat Chelsea and drew with Liverpool as their season began to look different.
There is no guarantee Sunderland would follow the same path. Their circumstances are different, and pointing to another club's recovery does not make their own problems disappear. But Leeds demonstrated that the manager struggling to find answers could also be the person capable of delivering them.
Le Bris has earned credit through promotion and European qualification. That should give him an opportunity to respond, while also increasing the expectation that he can identify what needs to change. Sunderland require more attacking threat, greater conviction and evidence that their approach can evolve when opponents contain them.
Leeds provide both encouragement and a challenge. Their patience with Farke was rewarded because he adapted and results improved. For Le Bris, the task is to produce that same evidence of progress, starting against the very club whose experience shows why immediate change is not always necessary.
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