Leeds United: Phil Hay moots Daniel Farke selection gamble v Middlesbrough at Riverside
Phil Hay believes it could make sense for Leeds United boss Daniel Farke to take a selection “gamble” by starting Mateo Joseph against Middlesbrough.
Leeds make the trip to the Riverside Stadium on Monday (22 April) looking to recover from a 1-0 loss to Blackburn Rovers and 0-0 draw with Sunderland in their past two games.
After failing to net in those two home matches, The Athletic’s Hay has mooted if it is time for Joseph to get the nod up top in place of both Joel Piroe and Patrick Bamford.
“I cannot see Farke going with the system he went with against Blackburn, with Piroe up front,” Hay said on The Square Ball Podcast [18 April, 25m 50s].
“It just didn’t really work and didn’t bring much out of Piroe. On the basis of what we’ve seen from Farke, you’d assume Bamford comes in and plays that role.
“But I’d be pretty tempted to play Joseph, I have to say, but I do get at the same time it’s a gamble.
“It’s very easy to make suggestions of changes that don’t get tested. It’s easy to say ‘if he doesn’t play, he needs to play and he’ll score goals’.”
Who will start for Leeds United vs Middlesbrough?
There are a few big calls Farke has to make after some disappointing results of late. We are now at a point in the season in which Leeds simply have to win.
Bamford needed to be left out against Blackburn, but Piroe failed to step up and fill the void. While it is not purely on the centre-forward to score goals, they certainly carry all the weight.
Starting Joseph at the Riverside would of course be a gamble, yet at the same time he has made an impact when he has been called upon in recent weeks.
There were the two goals netted on his so-far only start away at Chelsea in the FA Cup, followed by a potentially crucial late equaliser away at Watford when brought on from the bench.
Joseph has not scored in four games since then, but his time on the field has totalled just 70 minutes. As Hay rightly says, it is easy enough to say what Farke should and should not do, but the German is the one who lives and dies by his decisions.
In other Leeds United news, women’s manager Simon Wood has made a “disappointing” admission after what happened last weekend.
For more Leeds news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.