Daniel Farke takes big risk with Leeds United confirmed starting XI vs Coventry City, it could come back to bite him
Daniel Farke’s confirmed Leeds United starting XI to face Coventry City has been released by the club and he has taken a notable risk in naming an unchanged side from the one that lost in midweek.
With the Whites suffering a rare defeat at Sunderland on Tuesday (12 December) the German has shown admirable but potentially foolish faith in the players which had up until then proven so capable.
The likes of Willy Gnonto and potentially even Ilia Gruev were potential options to bring in after a flat showing against the Black Cats, with even regular stand-out Ethan Ampadu looking like the sheer volume of football he’s played this season was catching up to him.
There isn’t often much to criticise about this Leeds United side this term but the 1-0 reverse at the Stadium of Light was well below their recent standards.
Having a regular XI who have performed so well so frequently has meant Farke hasn’t rotated as much as he might have otherwise, but with games only coming faster and faster in the run up to Christmas the players looked worn out in the North East.
The drop off in quality from the usual starters to the squad options has been noticeable at times however, with the last occasion the manager made significant changes also seeing a 1-0 defeat, at Stoke City on 25 October.
So it would be a gamble either way for the visit of a mid-table Sky Blues side, with the top men starting to look leggy and the back-ups having been hit and miss.
At the same time it was always expected that he would need to bring the rest of his squad into the fold at some point during a gruelling Championship campaign, and with games coming thick and fast over the festive period and a red flag at the Stadium of Light suggesting a few needed a rest it would appear that time is now.
Players like Joe Gelhardt might be wondering quite what has to happen before he gets a proper look in, while the likes of Gnonto and loanee Jaidon Anthony have become afterthoughts when they were expected to be important.
Granted, Dan James and Crysencio Summerville have been outstanding for the most part so if they bounce back at Elland Road Farke will have been proven right.
But a bit of rotation would surely have helped ensure they, Georginio Rutter, Amapdu and Glen Kamara, can continue to operate a high level moving forward, while giving the substitutes more motivation that they can get into the side.
The manager has decided to show major faith in the players who underperformed last time out here as he looks to get back on track after losing ground on the top two in Ipswich and Leicester, having appeared to be reeling them in not long ago.
Further dropped points at this stage could be very damaging when automatic promotion is proving to require such high standards, so his decision will need to have been the right one or it could risk derailing the push for the top with rivals close behind already.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites have been tipped to “push for more” compensation from Everton in the even of a possible lowball offer.