There was a bit of concern among some sections of the fanbase heading into this season because Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke does not have an impressive record in the Premier League.
He was relegated with Norwich City in the 2019/20 campaign before being sacked during his second attempt at managing in the division in the 2021/22 season with the Canaries.
However, the West Yorkshire outfit have picked up eight points from six matches in the Premier League this season, losing just two of their games, in what has been a very solid start to the campaign.
Farke’s side have been competitive in every game barring the 5-0 loss to Arsenal, who are title challengers, and were held to a 2-2 draw by Bournemouth on Saturday.
In that 2-2 draw with the Cherries, Leeds supporters were provided with a reminder of where the club went wrong the last time they were in the top-flight.
Tyler Adams lined up in central midfielder for the away side at Elland Road, a few years on from when he failed to replace Kalvin Phillips under Jesse Marsch.
Why Tyler Adams was a poor replacement for Kalvin Phillips
The Whites sold Phillips to Manchester City in the summer of 2022 after the England international had helped the team to stay in the Premier League for two years.
Jesse Marsch and Victor Orta decided to bring Adams in from RB Leipzig for a fee of £20m to replace what they had lost in the middle of the park, but he was a poor replacement for the Yorkshire-born star.
Adams offered bite in the middle of the park, averaging 5.2 tackles and interceptions per game (per Sofascore), in the Premier League for the Whites, which shows that he was combative and got around the pitch to disrupt the opposition.
The USA international, however, did not showcase the quality on the ball that made Phillips so special to Marcelo Bielsa and Marsch in his two seasons in the top-flight with the West Yorkshire outfit. That lack of quality played a part in the team’s relegation to the Championship in the 2022/23 campaign.
Appearances
29
24
Goals
1
0
Big chances created
5
1
Assists
2
0
Possession lost per game
11.7
12.2
Tackles + interceptions per game
4.2
5.2
Ground duel success rate
53%
55%
As you can see in the table above, Adams did not offer anywhere near as much to the team in possession as Phillips did at his best, losing the ball more frequently whilst creating way less.
These statistics show that Orta and Marsch failed in their attempts to replace Phillips in midfield in the summer of 2022, and the Whites were relegated from the Premier League, in part, because of that. Of course, losing Raphinha from that team did not help matters.
Fast-forward to the present day, Leeds look competitive in the middle of the park thanks to the recruitment work that was done in that area of the pitch during the summer transfer window.
German giant Anton Stach has caught the eye, having scored a stunning free-kick against Wolverhampton Wanderers, since his £17m move from Hoffenheim.
However, it is another Leeds United central midfielder who has emerged as Farke’s own version of Kalvin Phillips at Elland Road in the Premier League this season.
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Sean Longstaff joined the club from Premier League rivals Newcastle United for £12m to bolster their options in the middle of the park, and he has been an excellent addition on current evidence.
Why Sean Longstaff may be the new Kalvin Phillips
The English midfield star may be the new Phillips at Elland Road because, unlike Tyler Adams, he has the defensive and technical qualities to be a well-rounded and influential presence in and out of possession for Leeds.
Longstaff really announced himself to the Elland Road supporters, of course, with his strike in the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, finding the corner with an excellent strike, as shown in the clip below.
It has been his all-round play in midfield that has impressed the most, though, as Longstaff has also averaged 3.8 tackles and interceptions per game in the league for the Whites this season, per Sofascore.
That is 1.2 more tackles and interceptions per match than Stach has managed in midfield in the top-flight. This suggests that the former Newcastle man is closer to Phillips, from a defensive perspective, than the 6 foot 4 German is, as he covers plenty of ground to disrupt opposition attacks.
Longstaff, who was tipped to be an “unbelievable” player by Alan Shearer, has the quality on and off the ball to help Leeds in all phases. He can sit and be compact to stop teams playing through the Whites, but he can also play a killer pass in the final third when needed to spark attacks or break down low blocks.
Appearances
29
6
Goals
1
1
Big chances created
5
2
Key passes per game
1.2
1.3
Tackles and interceptions per game
4.2
3.8
Ground duel success rate
53%
55%
Aerial duel success rate
47%
71%
As you can see in the table above, the £12m signing’s statistics in and out of possession so far this season make him very comparable to Phillips in his best season in the Premier League under Bielsa in the 2020/21 campaign.
1.3 key passes per game for Longstaff shows that he has a creative side to his game, whilst his assist for Joe Rodon on Saturday came from a corner, and that means that he adds value in the final third as well as being a combative and defensively strong operator.
Signing a player with bags of Premier League experience has turned out to be an incredibly shrewd move by the Whites, as he has been able to hit the ground running since his move to Elland Road.
He may not have been the most exciting signing when he arrived at the club in the summer transfer window, but Longstaff may well turn out to be the club’s next version of Kalvin Phillips.