Leeds United manager Daniel Farke is a fan of consistency in selection, and unless there are injuries, it is easy to predict his starting eleven. It worked in the Championship as the Whites were the superior team in most games, but in the Premier League, he may have to tweak his approach according to the opposition his side will come up against.
The Whites have made a solid start to life back in the Premier League, picking up eight points from their opening seven games. They’ve been competitive, resilient, and entertaining, a far cry from some of the recently promoted sides.
Leeds have built their team based on being strong and solid at the back and in midfield. Daniel Farke identified that promoted teams from recent years were too flaky, and he was certain about ensuring that was not the case with his Leeds side.
They have already earned praise from opposition managers for their physicality, but in the upcoming weeks, Farke and his side may need to show that they have more in them than just being strong and physical.
Daniel Farke is facing a tough Leeds United selection headache
Leeds are set to face Burnley and West Ham in their next two Premier League games. Both teams are below them in the league table and have looked short of confidence.
The Whites have reaped rich dividends from being solid and horrible to play against teams such as Everton, Newcastle and Bournemouth. However, there is a feeling that Farke may need something different in the next two games to extract maximum rewards.
There are suggestions that Jaka Bijol could replace Pascal Struijk in defence, and the manager may need something different from his midfield in the coming weeks.
However, changing the midfielder will be the trickiest call as the three midfielders – Ethan Ampadu, Anton Stach and Sean Longstaff – perfectly complement each other’s skill set.
Ampadu and Longstaff win their duels to keep things solid in front of the defence, and Stach is the more progressive ball carrier who makes those key passes into the final third.
Taking any of the three out could impact the balance of the Leeds midfield, which is something Farke would want to avoid. However, there is an argument for horses for courses.
Who goes out and who comes in?
As we have discussed, the midfield three have worked perfectly for Leeds, needed against some tough Premier League teams in the opening months of the season.
However, Leeds may need to show some more adventure against Burnley and West Ham. Two good results will not only push Leeds towards the top half of the table, but further pile the pressure on two of their relegation rivals.
There is an argument for Ao Tanaka to return to the starting eleven to provide that little more attacking instinct in the middle with his incisive passing.
However, it seems unlikely that Farke will take either Longstaff or Ampadu out because of their ability to win their one-on-one battles in the middle of the park.
Anton Stach seems to be the only player that Tanaka could replace in the middle without impacting the way Leeds want to play in the Premier League.
Whether the manager decides to make that bold call or sticks to his tried-and-tested midfield is anyone’s guess at the moment.
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