Leeds United – How a German manager woke up ,,The White Giant"

It is still a long way back to the Premier League. But Leeds United, with their 3-1 victory in the top match of the Championship against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, have put 5 points between themselves and their pursuers, and are 7 points ahead of third place, currently occupied by FC Burnley. The data specialists at Opta have calculated a 90.1 percent chance of promotion for "The Peacocks," as the team is also called by its fans – and that’s only for first place. Football trips to Leeds United could lead back to the Premier League this summer. 

Honestly, these are the scenes I want to see. What was that celebration by the players in yellow from Leeds United on February 24, 2025, in front of the away section in Sheffield? 

“We’re gonna win the League,” the traveling fans chanted – We are going to be champions. Statistically, there is little to suggest otherwise – and the longing for the big football that slumbers in this legendary club is certainly nothing to ignore.

And the German coach of United, Daniel Farke? He sees things as modestly and pragmatically as they must be seen if you want to be successful in this brutal business of "English football."
Not focusing on the podium and counting the titles won, but thinking in stages. If the Premier League – and as Liverpool coach Arne Slot also emphasizes after every game – is a marathon, what is the Championship with its 46 matchdays? 

“Can they do it on a cold, rainy night in Stoke?”

“Perseverance and consistency are key, not a single sprint,” said Daniel Farke in a major Kicker interview before the top match on February 24, 2025, “the Championship is full of strong opponents and traditional clubs: Burnley, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, or the Yorkshire derby against Sheffield Wednesday.” 

However, for Farke, it's not only about succeeding in the top matches, but he also touches on what makes the Championship so quintessentially English: “Can they do it on a cold, rainy night in Stoke?” – Yes, you have to win these games too.

Leeds United did exactly that in 2024/2025 and won 2-0 in Stoke on Boxing Day, the second Christmas day. They also kept their two pursuers AFC Sunderland (2-1) and Sheffield United at a distance. 

“What makes us addicted to football” 

Both matches were won after falling behind – and the goals came from the 90th minute onwards. “Coming back in both games,” wrote Leeds expert Adam Pope from BBC Sport after the match in Sheffield, “and doing it in the final minutes in an electric atmosphere is what makes us addicted to football, and no one does it better than Leeds United.”

No question: The “White Giant” has awoken. 

The fans are delighted by such performances. “This is the best team we have ever had in the Championship,” wrote LUFC fan Neill in the BBC forum about the match, “It’s the team cohesion that impresses me,” wrote Leeds supporter Rich.

“To turn it around like that,” Daniel Farke reflected in Kicker Sports Magazine about the match against Sunderland at home at Elland Road, “was incredibly emotional. The stadium at Elland Road was boiling, that energy really pushes you.”

Leeds United: Cult Club with a Cult Anthem

And what would such a club be without a cult song? “I predict a Riot” by the Kaiser Chiefs is the anthem that gets the Leeds fans out of their seats. This also impresses a Bundesliga and Premier League experienced coach like Farke: “What’s happening in the entire stadium is madness, you have to experience it. These emotions make Leeds United what it is.”

I know the Elland Road stadium from a bus tour, but I’ve never been live at a Leeds United match. But I know the energy this club, this stadium can unleash. The “White Wall” of Wembley in the playoff final for promotion to the Premier League last year against FC Southampton (0-1), we accompanied this match for you at event-breaks.com.

The run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2000/2001, which I was able to follow as a young reporter for BILD – with incredible matches against AC Milan (1-0), RSC Anderlecht (2-1), and Deportivo La Coruna (3-0 / Quarterfinals) – captivated all of Europe at the time.

And when DER SPIEGEL publishes an article about Leeds United, you know something special must have happened. Back then, the “Boy Group” with young players like Jonathan Woodgate (21), Alan Smith (20), Robbie Keane (20), and a certain Rio Ferdinand (22) caused a stir. 
That’s the flashback.

After the failed Premier League comeback in 2024, players like Archie Gray, Georginio Rutter, and Glen Kamara, who were sold for 130 million euros, have left the club.

Top scorer is now the Dutchman Joel Piroe, who scored 15 goals in 34 appearances in the Championship. The American loan player Brendan Aaronson from Union Berlin has scored eight goals in the same number of appearances.

Daniel Farke doesn't want to leave it at that, despite these players and the financial boost from the beverage giant Red Bull: “We are not a club from the RB cosmos, but remain a completely independent club with our own values, our tradition, and a clear philosophy.” And with a lot of emotion. 

Who are Leeds United's next home opponents at Elland Road?

On March 12 (37th matchday) Leeds United host Millwall FC, before Cardiff City visits on March 29, 2025. The last home game of the mammoth Championship season will be played on April 26, 2025, against Bristol City.

When is the Championship Playoff Final for Premier League promotion 2025?

The playoff final for the last Premier League ticket will take place on May 25, 2025, at the football temple of Wembley in London.