Comparing Daniel Farke’s record after 100 Leeds United matches with Marcelo Bielsa’s

Nestor Watach • 18 Apr 2025

Daniel Farke has taken charge of 100 matches in charge of Leeds United – but how does his record stand up against Elland Road icon Marcelo Bielsa after the same milestone?

The German coach has set a new record, becoming the first manager in Leeds’ history to win as many as 57 of his first 100 matches – beating the likes of Don Revie, Howard Wilkinson and David O’Leary from various chapters of the club’s glory years.

It’s actually just one more win than Bielsa managed from his first 100 matches with the Yorkshire club – with close parallels over the course of two memorable seasons down in the Championship.

Bielsa’s 100th competitive match in charge of Leeds was a particularly memorable one – the final game of the 2019-20 season, a victory lap 4-0 mauling of Charlton Athletic long after Leeds had sealed their status as Championship seasons.

You can never say never with Leeds, but Farke appears on the brink of emulating Bielsa’s promotion achievement, having also suffered play-off heartbreak in his first season in the dugout.

The club have a 98.5% chance of getting promoted automatically according to data firm OPTA, while some bookmakers have them as low as 1/200 to go up now.

It’s been a wild few weeks for Farke’s Leeds, who appeared to have taken a giant leap towards the Premier League with unforgettable last-gasp comeback victories over chasers Sunderland and Sheffield United.

But just as they looked to be cruising, they suffered a major wobble with one win from six and briefly dropped out of the top two for the first time since November.

Farke remained in a bullish confident mood after losing their lead at the top of the table.

“We have gone many, many steps and right now it’s the final step. That’s always the most difficult,” the Leeds head coach told reporters following a 2-2 draw against Swansea at the end of March.

“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% convinced that next season we will play in the Premier League.”

Those words were not necessarily welcomed by the more anxious among Leeds fanbase, but his confidence has proven well-founded after another twist in the promotion race, with Sheffield United suddenly conspiring to lose three in a row as Leeds have pulled back away with successive wins over Middlesbrough and Preston.

The ups, downs and drama are reminiscent of Leeds’ last promotion campaign under Bielsa five years ago – but how do the two managers stack up over the course of two seasons?

Under Farke, Leeds have won more, notched more points, scored more goals and conceded fewer than they had under the same number of games under Bielsa.

It is worth reiterating the important context of the differing situations the two managers faced, though.

Bielsa inherited a team that finished in the bottom half of the Championship and had been outside of the Premier League for 14 years.

Farke, on the other hand, took down one of the strong favourites to go straight back up following their relegation in 2023, taking over a stronger squad with a higher wage bill and all the financial advantages that parachute payments offer.

Here’s how Farke and Bielsa’s records stand up alongside one another after 100 matches in charge of Leeds.