Leeds United play Leicester City in the Championship on Friday night, with possibilities at Daniel Farke’s disposal, so we asked our club writer to suggest the XI he would pick.
Daniel Farke has made five changes since Leeds United began its eight-game winning streak, indicating that his starting are routinely performing at a high level. Three of those changes were due to injuries (Sam Byram, Daniel James, and Patrick Bamford), one was Illan Meslier’s return from suspension, and the other was Liam Cooper’s rotation out following a busy holiday season.
The nucleus of this club has given Farke no incentive to tinker, and with six days between Friday’s Leicester City game and Saturday’s Plymouth Argyle victory, it’s difficult to see why anything should alter this time. Bamford is possibly the only x-factor capable of elbowing his way back into the squad, but Farke did not declare him available on Wednesday.
The door was left open for the England international, but even with miraculous progress in the final 48 hours before kick-off, it’s difficult to justify risking an injury-prone player such as Bamford. Farke stated that Friday is neither a cup final nor the season’s final game.
Following Leicester’s visit, Bamford will have another 12 league games to impact. Daniel James is another player outside the team who has enough credit to start, but you cannot leave out Crysencio Summerville or Wilfried Gnonto on the flanks.
The Dutchman has four goals and two assists in his past four appearances, while the Italian has five goals and one assist in his last five games. Junior Firpo and Joel Piroe are the only players in the current lineup who have generated some concerns.
However, in each case, there are no compelling substitutes on the way. Sam Byram is sidelined, and Jamie Shackleton hasn’t played enough recent games to justify replacing someone who is more natural at left-back than him.
Connor Roberts has previously played on the left, but Firpo has not performed so poorly that the Wales international should be drafted in for a full debut on his weaker side of the field. With Bamford out, there aren’t many strikers with the presence to equal Piroe, despite Mateo Joseph’s promising start this season.
Beren’s XI: Meslier, Gray, Rodon, Ampadu, Firpo; Gruev, Kamara; Gnonto, Rutter, Summerville; Piroe.
