Farcical decision to snub Leeds boss Farke from Manager of the Year shortlist is desperately wrong | OneFootball

Daniel Farke has been staggeringly overlooked by the Premier League after they announced their six-strong shortlist for Manager of the Season, despite the German racking up a raft of impressive achievements and with a ridiculous inclusion for Michael Carrick adding further salt into wounds.

Back from the dead, or the brink of the sack at least, to lead his team into the FA Cup semi-finals and Premier League safety, it’s been a helluva rollercoaster for Farke and Leeds this season.

When Leeds went to Manchester City in late November, Farke was staring down the barrel of a fourth successive loss, and a fifth in six games, which left the club on the cusp of the Premier League drop zone.

While the 49-year-old had overseen a club-record 100-point haul to win the Championship the season before, patience was starting to wear thin just a few months later, and doubts over Farke’s ability to succeed at the highest level were starting to rise to the surface.

Yet, while several outlets were reporting two more losses would have seen him sacked, Farke used that half-time break at the Etihad to pull off one of the great tactical changes of recent times, by abandoning his 4-2-3-1 formation to go with a 3-5-2 instead. OK, hardly revolutionary, but one which was critical to a major upturn in Farke and Leeds’ fortunes…

The impact was immediate. Leeds fought their way back from 2-0 down to pull level at 2-2. And while City found a winner that day through a moment of Phil Foden magic, the dye had been cast at Leeds. But if Farke was convinced, fans would soon follow suit as World champions Chelsea were dispatched in their next game, before a gritty point was taken off Liverpool in a 3-3 thriller days later.

Leeds were an altered beast, going on to not only reach a first FA Cup semi-final in 39 years, but also making themselves stupidly hard to beat in the Premier League too.

Since that game at the Etihad, 25 Premier League games have passed. Leeds have lost just four, and are currently sitting seventh in the table over that time.

Beyond that, Leeds have also racked up two separate runs of seven games unbeaten on their travels – which would have been 15 overall but for two crazy late concessions in a 4-3 loss at Newcastle in early January.

But for an unexpected late revival by West Ham and, more recently, Tottenham Hotspur, Leeds would have secured their Premier League safety weeks ago. As it was, they were made to keep working hard and finally confirmed their status last weekend, having racked up 43 points from their 35 played.

Yet despite accomplishing safety with three games to spare, and leading the club to a first FA Cup semi since 1987, alongside a string of other firsts, that has not been enough to convince the powers that be for Farke to be nomination worthy…

Carrick, even Pep over Farke in Manager nominations is an absolute joke

So, who has made the cut this year?

Andoni Iraola of Bournemouth and Brentford’s Keith Andrews? Yep, absolutely correct and more than worthy after outstanding achievements that have defied even the most optimistic of predictions this season.

Sunderland’s Regis Le Bris? Yep, absolutely, despite feeling a little nauseous still at the Black Cats win at Elland Road in early March, there’s no denying the Wearsiders have enjoyed an excellent campaign. And having defied that stigma for those that do reach the Promised Land via the play-offs, the Frenchman is a very worthy candidate on the six-strong list.

Mikel Arteta, of course, also makes the cut, and with the Gunners two games from Premier League glory and also in the Champions League final, it’s completely fair and right he’s there.

However, Carrick? Guardiola? I mean, Carrick has only overseen 15 games, and while he’s, begrudgingly, done a rock solid job, he’s come in at an opportune moment and simply played to his team and his players’ strengths, when clearly his predecessor had failed to do so.

Yep, they’ve secured Champions League qualification, and yep, he’s brought the (again, very begrudgingly) feelgood factor back to Old Trafford, but including someone after just 15 games work – not even half a season – feels wholly wrong and a big smack in the chops for Farke, who also beat him, by the way!

Guardiola too? Surely finishing second (assuming that’s where they end up), having spent a shedload of cash across the last two transfer windows, feels like a season of underachievement at Manchester City? What Pep has done for the English game is astonishing, and his legacy is forever etched at the Etihad. But Manager of the Year contender? Pull the other one…

Leeds achievements under Farke really stack up

When you consider what Farke has achieved this season – and we’ll get into this soon – his omission really does sum up the contrite and somewhat sycophant nature of this list.

So, with the help of LUFCData (an excellent account on X, by the way), here’s a list of accomplishments Leeds (and Farke) have racked up this season.

Yet, despite all that, it wasn’t deemed enough for the Premier League or Farke.

Just as well that Leeds fans appreciate the German’s work, and even if he’s not considered worthy of a Premier League nod, Farke should take huge pride in what has been a thoroughly superb campaign for Leeds United.

The challenge now, of course, is to build on that, and who knows, maybe the Premier League deem Herr Farke worthy of making the cut…