Daniel Farke faces Leeds headache as decision on Lucas Perri and Karl Darlow beckons
Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has a conundrum to deal with, but it’s the type of problem that football managers like to have.
Farke spent big money on bringing Lucas Perri to Leeds this summer, but the Brazilian has picked up an injury and Karl Darlow has been almost faultless as his stand-in.
That has led to the question: who should Farke play in goal for Leeds against Bournemouth?
Perri is recovering quickly from his injury, but Farke has frequently said that he won’t drop players who break into the team if they’re playing well.
In the days leading up to the match, the press have questioned whether he’ll go back on that stance when selecting his goalkeeper.
Daniel Farke reveals who will start in goal for Leeds vs Bournemouth
In his pre-match press conference, Farke revealed that it would be “unlikely” that Perri will be fit enough to play for Leeds until after the international break.
Perri is close to returning to team training, but Farke said that it would take a little longer until he is back to his best.
It can therefore be assumed that Darlow will keep his place in goal for the matches against Bournemouth and Tottenham.
If Darlow continues his good form, Farke will have a big decision to make before the match against Burnley on 18 October.
Daniel Farke will be pleased about the strength in depth that Leeds have shown in defence
Farke will be delighted that Darlow has played so well in Perri’s absence.
He also used some time in his press conference to praise the form of his centre-halves Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk.
Neither of those players was tipped to be regular starters for Leeds after Farke signed Jaka Bijol and Sebastian Bornauw in the summer.
However, the pair performed well in the season’s opener against Everton when Bijol was suspended, and Farke has kept the faith with them.
| Player | Premier League appearances | Minutes played |
| Joe Rodon | 5 | 450 |
| Pascal Struijk | 5 | 450 |
| Jaka Bijol | 0 | 0 |
| Sebastiaan Bornauw | 0 | 0 |
Leeds clearly have strength in depth in defence, which will bode well throughout the long season.
With that said, Farke will be pleased that Jayden Bogle will be available for selection against Bournemouth. Bogle had limped off in the 3-1 win against Wolves with a suspected swollen foot, but has recovered quicker than expected.
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