Are Leeds falling apart again? Daniel Farke feeling the heat at Elland Road as latest Championship promotion bid threatens to unravel

Some of the Leeds players may have been planning a Championship title party in their heads as early as February 24. Farke's side followed up a dramatic comeback win against Sunderland with more late heroics to see off main promotion rivals Sheffield United 3-1 at Bramall Lane, which saw them move five points clear at the summit and seven ahead of third-place Burnley.

Farke, however, refused to get carried away. "Each and every point brings us closer to where we want to finish, but you have to keep going," he told a post-match press conference. "We're seven points clear of third before this round of matches and we are seven points clear now. In this league the momentum can change quickly and you can need some luck."

The cautious tone in Farke's voice had a lot to do with the loss of club captain Ethan Ampadu, who sat out the trip to Sheffield after damaging the cartilage in one of his knees. The Leeds boss added when pressed for an update on the former Chelsea midfielder: "He won't be available for the upcoming games at least. He more or less didn't miss a minute last season. It's a blow for us. Perhaps it was the reason we didn't start this game well."

Indeed, Leeds missed Ampadu more than perhaps even Farke could have imagined over the next three games. The Whites were held to a 1-1 draw at home by West Brom before they surrendered their unbeaten run when going down 1-0 to Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

Victory over Millwall briefly lifted the mood, but Leeds then arrived at Loftus Road to try and exorcise the ghosts of last season, and ultimately fell short as they battled back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with QPR. Still, that point was enough for Leeds to go into the March international break top of the Championship for the second year running.

Leeds were also boosted by Ampadu returning from injury ahead of schedule, and there was an expectation that they would end the month on a high note against Swansea. The omens looked even better when Brenden Aaronson put Leeds 1-0 up at Elland Road inside 35 seconds, with the United States midfielder poking home from close range after a goalmouth scramble.

But instead of going in for the kill thereafter, Leeds were tentative; they survived one scare when Ilan Meslier saved a penalty from Josh Tymon, but the French goalkeeper would soon turn into the villain. Just after the hour mark, Meslier fumbled a routine corner, and was punished dearly as Harry Darling slid in the equaliser. Leeds looked devoid of any kind of rhythm as Ampadu struggled and the likes of Daniel James, Manor Solomon and Joel Piroe offered next to nothing in the final third.

Swansea deserved at least a point, but incredibly, Wilfried Gnonto appeared to have stolen all three for Leeds in the 86th minute, as he drilled a first-time shot into the net just moments after coming on as a substitute. There was to be one last sting in the tail, though, as Zan Vipotnik fired past Meslier from a tight angle right at the death to send the Welsh fans in the away end into raptures.

Meslier should have been able to parry Vipotnik's shot away from danger. It was well struck, but flew pretty much straight at the Frenchman, and when Leeds simply needed him to throw out a strong hand and push the ball away from danger, he was found wanting again.

Leeds have let too many wins slip away because of Meslier's ineptitude, including in the away fixtures against Hull City and Sunderland, and things reached a head following the Swansea draw where questions were being asked about Farke's judgement, and why on earth he was still sticking with Meslier when Karl Darlow was sat on the bench?

The ex-Norwich boss has acquiesced, however, and revealed on Thursday that he is set to make a change between the sticks for the run-in. Darlow, who made 52 Premier League appearances for Newcastle between 2014 and 2023, is the current Wales No.1, and a far more reliable pair of hands than Meslier, with the hope being that should shore up matters behind an otherwise pretty watertight defence.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the pitch, Farke would also be wise to take Aaronson out of the firing line. The American's goal against Swansea was only his second since the turn of the year, which explains why he did not make the latest U.S. squad.

Aaronson continues to fill the No.10 slot because Farke doesn't feel he has anyone else capable, having seen reported January target Emi Buendia move to Bayer Leverkusen instead. It's high time that Farke revises that stance, particularly after Gnonto's latest cameo from the bench.

Gnonto is the obvious alternative to Aaronson, but there is a feeling that Italian ace still hasn't convinced Farke after handing in a transfer request following Leeds' first game of the 2023-24 season. That ill-advised move led Farke to drop Gnonto for two weeks, and the 21-year-old has yet to win back the full trust of his manager to this day.

That's understandable, especially since Gnonto's application levels still fall slightly below the required standard, but he is a match-winner on his day, and Leeds could use his fresh legs. Farke's refusal to rotate his attackers backfired last term as the Whites ran out of steam, and making the same mistake would be unforgivable.

From the outside, it's obvious that the likes of Aaronson, Solomon, James and Piroe need a bit of rest, and there's no excuse for Farke not to give them it with Gnonto, Largie Ramazani, Mateo Joseph and - if he ever stays fit - Patrick Bamford waiting in the wings. At the very least, Leeds need Gnonto on the pitch for longer than 10 minutes at a time, especially in tight games that he can edge in their favour with moments of individual brilliance.

Leeds are still sitting just two points behind new Championship leaders Sheffield United, but they're only ahead of Burnley on goal difference, and momentum is no longer with them. There is a real danger that Leeds will drop into the play-offs again, and if that happens, the microscope will fall on their lack of January transfer activity.

Burnley made four signings in the winter window, including Marcus Edwards on loan from Sporting CP and experienced former Liverpool star Jonjo Shelvey, while Ben Brereton Diaz, Tom Cannon, Hamza Choudhury and Rob Holding were among seven new players to join Chris Wilder's Blades squad. As their main rivals strengthened significantly, Leeds stood still, and now they're paying the price.

It has been suggested that Leeds' American owners, 49ers Enterprises Global Football Group LLC, dropped the ball in a big way by prioritising another takeover at Scottish giants Rangers instead of investing more in the first-team squad at Elland Road. The purchase has yet to go through, but it has been reported that the 49ers reached an agreement in principle with Rangers earlier this month, with due diligence checks now being conducted before any formal announcement is made.

For all his faults and questionable decisions, Farke will have genuine grounds to deflect the blame if Leeds miss out on promotion again. Scott Parker and Wilder were both given the financial backing to get their teams over the line, and Farke is now at a disadvantage because the 49ers neglected to do the same for him, with Leeds still lacking strength in depth in key areas of the pitch.

Despite Leeds' alarming drop-off in form, Farke is confident that history will not repeat itself come May. "We have gone many, many steps and right now it's the final step. That's always the most difficult," he said following the Swansea draw. "There's never a guarantee of success, but we have been in this situation before. I know how tricky it sometimes is to lead from the front but also what is necessary to bring it over the line and we will try everything to make sure the lads have the best chance to make the final step. If you ask me right now, I'm 100 percent convinced that next season we will play in the Premier League."

That was a bold stance to take, especially given Leeds have never been promoted via the play-offs in six previous attempts across the football league divisions. Farke is clearly banking on his team finishing in the top two based on their favourable run-in, with five of their final seven games coming against bottom-half teams. Indeed, their next outing will be away at second-bottom Luton Town, and Farke's men will wrap up their league campaign with a trip to 24th-placed Plymouth Argyle.

It would be one of the all-time great collapses if Leeds fail to gain automatic promotion, then, especially since Sheffield United and Burnley both have tougher schedules on paper. At least one of them is guaranteed to drop points when they meet at Turf Moor on Easter Monday, too. Leeds, on the other hand, should be eyeing maximum points and the Championship title after being dealt such a favourable hand.

But things are never simple when it comes to Yorkshire's biggest club. Farke will have to fix the mentality issue in his squad if Leeds are to get over the line, and anything less than a win at Kenilworth Road this Saturday will only increase the risk of another implosion.