Leeds running half hour late for Premier League clash vs Fulham
Leeds United are set to take on Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
With Lukas Nmecha and Joel Piroe carrying injuries, Dominic Calvert-Lewin was handed his first Premier League start for Leeds by Daniel Farke.
Noah Okafor was also selected in the starting XI, despite Adam Pope claiming there could be issues with Okafor’s fitness.
United’s preparation for the game has been far from ideal, however, with multiple journalists claiming that Leeds arrived late for the match.
Leeds arrive late at craven Cottage
Whilst Farke would have been preparing his Leeds side for Fulham’s new set-piece threat, another area of the German manager’s preparation for the game has seemingly gone horribly wrong.
According to The Sun’s Justin Allen on X, the Whites were running half an hour late for their second away fixture of the season.
This was further supported by another report from Jack Kelly, also on X, claiming Leeds were running late, but Kelly’s report stated it was by 20 minutes as opposed to 30.
Travelling members of the Elland Road faithful will have already raised their eyebrows when they saw Brenden Aaronson included in the starting XI.
However, they will also be worrying about how this poor preparation will affect their side on the pitch.
If the Whites are defeated on Saturday, fingers will undoubtedly be pointed at this incident prior to kick-off.
Daniel Farke also takes big Ethan Ampadu gamble
Whilst Ampadu’s importance to this Leeds side cannot be underestimated, immediately throwing the Welsh midfielder back into the starting XI is easily a move that could backfire.
Although Ampadu was predicted to start the game, Leeds fans will be concerned if their captain reaggravates the injury he picked up at Elland Road against Everton on the opening game of the season.
Ao Tanaka is also back in the squad, but the Japanese midfielder has to settle for a position on the bench.
This is a decision that almost made itself for Farke, especially when considering how impressive his replacement, Sean Longstaff, was against Newcastle before the international break.
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