Leeds United are back in action at Elland Road this weekend when they take on a high-flying Brentford side.
The two sides met back in December in the reverse fixture, with an equaliser from Dominic Calvert-Lewin ensuring that the game finished 1-1.
Considering that Brentford currently sit in 7th in the Premier League, Daniel Farke would likely take a repeat of that result on Saturday.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, the German opened up about the tactical reasons one member of his squad has had limited gametime this season
Daniel Farke explains why Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin rarely start together
When both Nmecha and Calvert-Lewin have played up top together this season, the pair have caused chaos, with the duo being a pivotal reason as to why Leeds thrashed Chelsea 3-1 back in December at Elland Road.
However, despite this, Farke has rarely opted to start the pair together since, with the game against Crystal Palace last week being an exception, but unfortunately for Nmecha, he had to be hooked at half-time as Farke altered his team following Gabriel Gudmundsson’s sending off.
Farke recently revealed why he has opted to play just Calvert-Lewin for the majority of the season, with Nmecha often having to watch on from the sidelines.
“A few reasons, one is that both have an injury record, and we needed to manage minutes a bit. I also want a solution for a striker to make an impact off the bench. They also have similar attributes, and it’s good to mix it up.
“Sometimes in a 3-4-3 you need players with a bit more skills in a pocket. Had a few games with two upfront, defending in 5-3-2 and then it was natural, but sometimes we are defending a 5-4-1, then it’s difficult for Dominic or Lukas to defend a full-back. It’s good that we can do both; they have both been fit for a while. Good that we can surprise an opponent.”
With the game against Brentford being under the lights at Elland Road, it seems like it could be another perfect opportunity for Farke to field both of his big men up top to unsettle and run the visitors’ backline ragged.
Data suggests Lukas Nmecha has been incredible this season
Despite his lack of starts, Nmecha has still heavily contributed when he has featured for Leeds this season, and the German can count himself unfortunate that Farke has not relied on him more throughout the campaign.
- Nmecha has netted six Premier League goals this season despite playing a total of just 824 minutes
- In the league, the forward averages a goal every 137 minutes
- Nmecha has also scored one goal and recorded two assists in three appearances in the FA Cup this season (Sofascore)
With the pressure being on Leeds to beat teams, now the relegation race has tightened up, we may see Nmecha deployed more often, where hopefully the striker can add to his goal tally this season.
