Saturday’s dramatic win over Norwich City at Carrow Road will have taken plenty out of Leeds United. The Whites were forced to dig deep in order to come back from being two goals down to win 3-2 in East Anglia and some players were visibly flagging come the final whistle.
However, the trip to Stoke City on Wednesday poses the challenge of another quick turnaround for the Whites and Daniel Farke will be forced to make changes to his starting XI at the bet365 Stadium. Here’s a look at some of the selection decisions Farke will be mulling over going into the clash with Stoke City.
Defence
It seems likely that Farke will look to freshen things up at the back after watching members of his backline push themselves to the limit in the demanding outing in Norfolk. Archie Gray was certainly one of those, with the youngster appearing to feel the effects of a hectic few weeks.
The youngster has been one of Leeds’ most used players this season and his workload was dialled up over the international break as he played 270 minutes over three critical qualifiers for England U19s in Montenegro. Despite questioning the benefits of Gray playing so many minutes over the break, Farke gave him the nod at Carrow Road and asked him to play 90 minutes once again.
It seems likely, then, that Gray will move to the bench on Wednesday night and Sam Byram could be set for the same fate after struggling for traction against Norwich. Byram was withdrawn after 70 minutes on Saturday and with Leeds managing his time on the field, he could be another to make way on the short turnaround.
Such changes would open the door for Luke Ayling and Jamie Shackleton to step back into the starting XI. Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk were tested by the Canaries but they’ve impressed as a pairing for a majority of the season and they’ll only get better with more time on the field together.
Should one need a rest, though, Farke has the luxury of Liam Cooper or Charlie Cresswell to call upon.
Midfield
Ethan Ampadu’s form appeared to dip a little in Norfolk and the amount of minutes he’s played this season must be noted. The midfielder has been an ever-present for the Whites in all competitions and he’s been involved regularly for Wales, too.
There’s an argument that Ampadu might benefit from sitting one out, then, but his absence would surely be felt given the instrumental role he has played across the opening 12 games of the campaign. Farke does have Ilia Gruev primed and ready to step in when called upon, but given the lack of game time he has been given this season, Leeds fans don’t know too much about what he can add to the team.
Glen Kamara was withdrawn after 70 minutes on Saturday and that might be enough to keep him relatively fresh, despite playing twice for Finland over the international break. Of course, if he isn’t being utilised at full-back, Shackleton also provides an option in the middle of the park for Farke.
Attack
Assuming Farke returns to a 4-2-3-1 formation after switching his side to a 3-5-2 in the latter stages against Norwich, he has some tough calls to make when it comes to the front four. Georginio Rutter and Joel Piroe have been fixtures in the side and if they’re considered fit enough, they will surely start again in the Potteries.
However, Patrick Bamford is in need of a start at some point to help build up his fitness and form going into the hectic winter months, and Wednesday could be a chance to give him some game time. Jaidon Anthony and Wilfried Gnonto will be pushing for starts, too, and it seems the most likely change comes on the right wing with Dan James playing a lot of football of late, too.
Crysencio Summerville did cramp up after scoring the winner on Saturday but the temptation must be to allow him to go again and build on his fantastic form against Alex Neil’s side. James has been impressive, too, but his aforementioned workload for club and country could leave the door open for Gnonto or Anthony, who, if given the chance, will be determined to stake their claim ahead of Saturday’s derby with Huddersfield Town.
Joe Gelhardt and Mateo Joseph look to be well down the pecking order at present and neither man made the trip to Norwich, but Ian Poveda may well be looking at Wednesday night’s game as an opportunity to get some more time on the field, with the most probable scenario seeing him come off the bench.