WILL MAC ROAR AT LIONS & CAN DAN LIFT WHITES?

THE FLP PICKS OUT HALF-A-DOZEN BIG TALKING POINTS FOR 2024-25

- Chris Dunlavy

THIS time last year, nobody imagined that Ipswich would storm straight into the Premier League.

Nor that Birmingham, buoyed by the arrival of megabucks American owners, would tumble into the third tier for the first time in 29 years.

Such is the beauty of the EFL - a competition that makes a mockery of predictions and routinely upsets the odds.

Countless fascinating storylines will come to the boil over the next ten months, but plenty are already simmering on the backburner. Here are six to watch out for as the 2024-25 campaign steams into action…

1. PRESSURE ON FARKE

Daniel Farke got a free pass last season. The Leeds team he inherited last summer had just tumbled out of the Premier League, their confidence shattered by a succession of humiliating defeats.

Misjudged contract clauses that allowed players to depart on loan in the event of relegation paralyzed the recruitment process. Nobody knew who would leave, or when.

Many of those denied that escape route - most notably Willy Gnonto - were not particularly thrilled.

To have built a functional team out of such an ugly mess, let alone one that ended up challenging for the title, was an impressive achievement.

But his young side imploded as the finishing line drew near, losing 4-0 at relegation-threatened QPR to squander their place in the top two before choking at Wembley as Southampton cantered to victory in May’s play-off final.

As the pressure intensified, Farke, below, repeatedly spoke about the “weight of the shirt”, a line that irritated Whites supporters who resent the club’s rich history - and the reasonable expectation it brings - being construed as a negative.

Though Farke is respected at Elland Road, he does not enjoy the trust and veneration of Marcelo Bielsa. When the Argentine lost a playoff semi-final to Derby in 2019, fans begged him to stay.