Leeds United’s neighboring rivals Huddersfield Town have changed managers for the second time this season in an attempt to avoid relegation, appointing German Andre Breitenreiter.
The standard at the top of the Championship has been quite good this season, with the top two meeting this week at Elland Road.
While Leeds and Hull City contribute to Yorkshire football, others down the road from Elland Road are struggling, with Huddersfield Town, Rotherham United, and Sheffield Wednesday all in the league’s bottom five.
Huddersfield appoint Andre Breitenreiter ahead of the upcoming Leeds clash.
Following Neil Warnock’s departure from the club following a shaky start to the season, the Terriers turned to Darren Moore, who had been dismissed by Sheffield Wednesday, to smooth the ship.
Moore’s performance, however, had little impact on the season’s outcome, with their performances deteriorating, particularly a 4-1 defeat at Elland Road in October.
He was fired after a draw against QPR at the end of January and has been replaced by Andre Breitenreiter, who is yet to take command of his first game as manager of the Terriers, which is against Watford this Saturday.
Breitenreiter makes a cheap dig at Leeds during a press conference.
Breitenreiter is not the first German to take the dugout at the John Smith’s Stadium in recent years, with David Wagner being the most notable, famously securing an incredible promotion to the Premier League, only to survive for a year in the top flight before struggling in 18/19 and being relieved of his duties.
Despite Leeds’ recent three-year stay in the top division, the new Town manager believes Wagner’s work makes Huddersfield a more relevant side now than Leeds.
In his pre-match press conference, he stated this when questioned about Huddersfield’s reputation in Germany:
“Yes, I read the press yesterday, and they informed everyone about Huddersfield and me. David Wagner, promotion, and two years in the Premier League have made Huddersfield more well-known than Leeds.”
Breitenreiter’s first home game in charge of the Terriers is against Leeds next Saturday at 12:30pm.
Clever approach to get Huddersfield fans on board early.
Name-dropping Leeds and giving Town fans something to talk about is a clever way to get them on board early in his tenure.
It’s a wise decision, and they’ll undoubtedly improve in the next weeks and months, but the relegation battle has grown much more severe in recent matches, with the resurgence of teams below Town.
Next week’s game will not be simple, with a new manager perhaps on the way and a home crowd with renewed anticipation of obtaining a huge win in their biggest game of the season – Daniel Farke must have his team switched on right away.
