NafisaIf Paul Merson was hoping his early-season verdict on Leeds United would age well, Daniel Farke’s side have wasted absolutely no time making sure it looks considerably worse.
Leeds United have now beaten Nottingham Forest twice in the space of just three days, first securing a 1-0 Premier League victory at the City Ground before returning to the same stadium on Tuesday night and producing an even more convincing 2-0 Carabao Cup success.
It was the kind of response that makes a pundit’s prediction look very different just days after it was delivered.
And while nobody at Leeds will be losing sleep over Merson’s assessment, the former Arsenal midfielder’s comments have suddenly become rather amusing from a Whites perspective.
Merson had been far from convinced by Leeds’ opening-day performance despite the 1-0 victory, arguing that both Leeds and Forest looked ordinary and suggesting the two sides could end up separated by only a handful of points in the Premier League table.
He went even further, warning that Leeds would not be “pulling up any trees” if they continued producing performances of that nature.
That prediction was already looking questionable after Leeds left the City Ground with three points on Saturday.
After Tuesday night, however, Farke’s players have effectively delivered the perfect footballing response.
There was no lucky late free-kick this time.
There was no argument about whether Forest deserved something from the game.
There was simply another Leeds victory at a ground where the Whites had previously struggled for decades.
Before this weekend, Leeds had not won at the City Ground since 1972. They have now won there twice in 72 hours.
Dan James opened the scoring shortly after half-time, finishing after a Forest defensive mistake allowed Leeds to attack space. James Justin then added a second in the 75th minute following a messy scramble inside the Forest penalty area.
The result sent Leeds into the third round of the Carabao Cup and, more importantly, provided another indication that Farke’s team may be considerably more competitive than some of the early predictions suggested.
And that is where the metaphorical punch lands.
Farke did not need to publicly confront Merson.
He did not need to respond to every criticism.
His team simply went back to the City Ground and beat Forest again.
In fact, the second victory was arguably even more satisfying because Leeds controlled large periods of the contest and looked increasingly comfortable as the game progressed. Sky Sports described it as Leeds’ second win at Forest in three days, while Reuters also highlighted the unusual nature of the achievement.
Merson’s original argument was that Leeds and Forest could be operating around the same level this season.
But Farke’s players have already produced two direct pieces of evidence suggesting otherwise.
The first was a 1-0 away win secured by Anton Stach’s superb late free-kick. The second was a 2-0 cup victory in which Leeds again kept Forest at bay and progressed comfortably.
Farke himself had described the opening-day victory as an excellent way to begin the campaign, praising the importance of winning at a difficult ground and keeping a clean sheet.
Now, after returning to Nottingham and doing it all over again, the Leeds boss has even more reason to be pleased.
Nobody should pretend two matches suddenly make Leeds title contenders. There is a very long season ahead, and the Premier League will provide much tougher tests.
But that is precisely why Merson’s verdict looks premature.
Leeds were never claiming that one away win meant they had suddenly become a European powerhouse. What Farke wanted was progress, greater squad quality and a team capable of competing properly in the Premier League.
The summer recruitment has already given him a stronger platform, with James Trafford, Harry Wilson, Tarik Muharemovic and Nico Elvedi among the arrivals before the campaign began. Sports Mole’s season preview noted Leeds’ significant summer investment and tipped them to finish 12th, while talkSPORT’s wider prediction placed the Whites inside the top 10.
That does not mean those predictions will definitely prove correct.
But it does mean there is already plenty of reason to question the idea that Leeds are destined to be little more than another bottom-half side fighting for survival.
And perhaps that is the funniest part of this whole situation.
Merson did not need to be punched.
Farke’s Leeds have done the punching for him.
Twice.
The first blow was a late Stach free-kick.
The second was a 2-0 victory that sent Leeds into the next round of the Carabao Cup.
Now the challenge for Farke is to make sure these victories are not simply an excellent opening week but the beginning of something much bigger at Elland Road.
For now, though, Leeds fans can certainly enjoy the irony.
Merson questioned whether Leeds and Forest would be separated by much at the end of the season.
After just three days, Farke’s men have already put two wins between them.
And judging by the way Leeds have started the campaign, the conversation around their ambitions may have to change rather quickly.
Nafisa
