Vitor Pereira declared himself “happy”, while at the same time saying he was “worried”. Daniel Farke was “just proud” of a performance he described as “rock solid”, while at the same time saying it was “heart-breaking”. Football management: it can turn people inside out.
This was last Saturday and the managers of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leeds United were dissecting their teams’ respective defeats. Wolves had lost 1-0 at Newcastle, Leeds had lost 1-0 at Fulham. Marginal pains.
But as with the other kind, those add up and it means there is a massive match in the Premier League this weekend and it is not Liverpool-Everton, Manchester United-Chelsea or even Arsenal-Man City, though obviously fans of all would say otherwise. It is Wolves versus Leeds.
Given Wolves are yet to win or even draw in the league this season and Leeds have scored once in their four matches – a penalty-kick on the opening night – it might seem a stretch to be pushing this. But 20th v 16th holds an outsize importance even this early in the season. Wolves need to win; Leeds need to not lose. Already it is tense, already relegation is being mentioned by two fanbases who look at their clubs and see similar states of stasis.
Even airing the word relegation in September feels inappropriate. But we must, because the race to avoid it began on the first weekend, when Sunderland and Leeds both won their first home game, and on weekend two when Burnley did the same. This is a big season for relegation in the Premier League, a third consecutive May when the three promoted clubs go straight back down would be a dangerous trend for a league that brands itself on competitiveness.
Premier League salesmen need to show jeopardy remains and for that they need Leeds or Sunderland or Burnley to survive. Then it can be said the previous two seasons do not amount to a trend and the yawning financial chasm between the Premier League and the Championship is not making us all yawn.
For that the top division requires two elements – ambitious promoted clubs and hesitant established Premier League clubs. A current bottom three of Wolves, Aston Villa and West Ham will be as heartening for some as it is disheartening for the three clubs.
Wolves finished 16th last season, which does not sound convincing. But they were a 17-point gulf away from Leicester City in 18th. An eighth season in the warm, rich bank of the Premier League was secured. This hybrid club – Chinese-owned, Portuguese-led, Midlands-based – did not look vulnerable.
Wolves manager Vitor Pereira hopes to be applauding his team on Saturday for actually winning a match. Photograph: Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Yet Wolves’ season had begun with Gary O’Neil in charge and with one point from the first eight matches. There was a 6-2 home defeat against Chelsea. Although Wolves were repeatedly praised for determination and organisation, by December there were spats. Captain Mario Lemina and Rayan Aït-Nouri both erupted. Losing at home to Ipswich as fans chanted against the Wolves ownership led to the departure of O’Neil.
In came Pereira, who won his first two games. He is a likeable individual. He won fans over with victories and a willingness to engage with his new public – in pubs. “First the points, then the pints,” was Pereira’s attitude.
The second win lifted Wolves out of the bottom three, which was filled, after 18 games, by Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton. The season was not quite at the halfway mark, but the relegation three were in place.
Avoiding the same dull scenario again is vital to the league. Early anxieties at Wolves and West Ham will encourage belief elsewhere and Leeds, Sunderland and Burnley have all shown they can win and compete. “We have shown we belong,” as Farke said.
Leeds’s loss to a freakish injury-time own goal at Fulham was gut-wrenching, but the effort, like in the win against Everton and the 0-0 against Newcastle, revealed a level of top-flight potential.
Farke is a likeable character, too. He speaks well. But Leeds fans demand more than that and Farke knows it. On Thursday he reminded those seeking simplistic answers that “football is a complex game” and his concentration is on staying “calm” and focusing on “the big picture”.
Two issues making that harder are the fallout from the summer transfer window, which is still falling out. Farke asked for “offensive options” and got Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin on free transfers, plus wide forward Noah Okafor. A strand of questioning to Farke on Thursday was again where the goals will come from. He did his best to be realistic without dipping into pessimism.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin: the answer to Leeds United’s striking problems? Photograph: Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Managing out, as well as down and up, is not easy at Elland Road. Farke has previously referred to Leeds being “probably the most emotional club in this country” and from his perspective every game may well feel like a personal referendum.
He has been there since July 2023. Leeds had been relegated in May. When they won 4-2 at Molineux the previous March, the victory lifted them out of the bottom three and there was a spurt of optimism. But it was a bizarre spring. The Leeds manager was Javi Gracia. In February he had succeeded Jesse Marsch after Michael Skubala stood in for three games. Gracia was out by the start of May. You may struggle to recall that Sam Allardyce then strode in. Big Sam lasted four games, three of which were lost, including the final-day defeat at home to Tottenham.
And Wolves think they’ve had too much recent managerial churn.
Leeds fans remember, including the last Premier League relegation in 2004. It took 16 years to get back up. So they fret. Farke took Leeds to a play-off final in his first season but it was lost to Southampton. These are not the historical irrelevancies those running Leeds United 2025 might wish they were. Two seasons in the Championship means Leeds have not won away in the Premier League since that victory at Molineux.
Pereira will sympathise with Farke. As Pereira digested the 1-0 at St James’ Park, he said this will be his first uninterrupted week with all his squad in training. He expects we will see a different Wolves as a consequence. Pereira sounded confident, he knew a new contract was in motion. Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs has left and Pereira has increased influence.
But he no longer has Matheus Cunha or Aït-Nouri, players who could turn a draw into a win. As with Leeds, fans are questioning the transfer window. As with Leeds, Wolves have not scored in three of their four matches. A home debut for 6ft 6in Tolu Arokodare may change that.
Big man, big game, big stress.