Given the multitude of difficulties that must be dealt with quickly, the life of a Championship manager frequently mimics that of a firefighter.
The unrelenting nature of English football’s second tier means that crammed fixture lists, long lines for the treatment table, and navigating financial rules will all have an impact on what a manager can put on the pitch.
One of Daniel Farke’s main qualities as Leeds United manager is his calm demeanor, which has allowed him to negotiate two successful summers of change in his team’s playing squad.
Farke’s next curveball came in the form of a suspension, forcing him to make his first change to what had previously been an extremely established defence for Saturday’s trip to Bristol City.
Sam Byram earns Team of the Week recognition.
Junior Firpo received his fifth yellow card of the season in the 2-1 win over Watford, thus he was suspended for the trip to Bristol, and Farke turned to Sam Byram to replace him.
The 31-year-old has been a regular off the bench, but today was his first start of the Championship season, and he put in an impressive performance, leading the way in Leeds United News’ player ratings and earning Championship Team of the Week honours.
The EFL uses WhoScored statistics to produce their best XI of the weekend, with Byram’s algorithmic score of 7.9 being the second-highest defensive mark, trailing only Sunderland’s Trai Hume.
Byram resolves Farke’s next selection issue.
Firpo is eligible to play Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle at the weekend after completing his ban, but Byram is certain to keep his position in the Leeds defence. Jayden Bogle is now suspended for a match after he was booked in Bristol.
Byram should be able to switch wings and fill in for the former Sheffield United player, providing Farke with a ready-made answer at a time when the squad is plagued by injuries.
The Leeds manager will also be relieved with how his team’s disciplinary situation has worked out, as both Firpo and Bogle, as well as centre-back Joe Rodon, were all on four yellow cards at the start of the Watford game, raising the prospect that all three could have been suspended simultaneously.
The staggered bookings of Firpo and Bogle have avoided this, with Rodon needing to go through the Derby County match on December 7 without being cautioned if he is to avoid a one-game ban.
