Leeds United injury solution guessing game for Liverpool with chance for new man to 'swim'
Leeds United take on Liverpool this week but Daniel Farke has some changes to make
Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has kept Liverpool guessing on his preferred solution for a new injury problem in the back line.
Though the Whites have introduced a greater level of flexibility in recent weeks with the ability to play with three or four at the back, one constant has been Joe Rodon. The Welsh international is now facing a spell on the sidelines having been almost ever-present for the entirety of Daniel Farke's tenure as Leeds boss. An ankle problem sustained in a challenge at Sunderland forced him off during the first half of Sunday's game and could keep him out until after the FA Cup tie at Derby County.
Should Farke want to start with the 3-5-2 formation he has used of late, it will mean bringing in someone to play on the right-hand side of his central defence, but he believes he has suitable options.
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Daniel Farke on missing Joe Rodon
"Of course, it would be beneficial to have all my centre-back options, available," said Farke. "And Joe was the integral part, not just of this season, but since years for us and and knows exactly how we want to play. Of course I would prefer to have him available. It's not a situation I value when he's injured and not available. But we have other players who could also play in this position. So the good thing is, we are flexible. We can play in a three men formation. We can play in a four man formation.
"It's good that we have different options. But we have also other players who can cover the position. Sebastiaan Bornauw is one of them. Sam Byram is a player who has played centre-back. James Justin can play in the back three. So I still think we have enough options also to have [3-5-2] as a possible base formation for this game. But we also flexible and also capable to change."
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Options available to Farke ahead of Liverpool test
Centre-back Bornauw is yet to start a game for Leeds since joining from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg in the summer. He sustained an injury on the first day of the pre-season camp in Germany and then had a succession of niggles, before making his debut off the bench in the win over Chelsea. Should Farke start the Belgian it would allow Leeds to set up in a 3-5-2 but it would also mean a lack of natural central defensive cover on the bench. If the manager goes with the four-man back line that took the game so impressively to Sunderland then it will almost certainly mean a midfielder comes into the side.
But whatever the solution - and Farke was giving very little away as to his plan - Rodon's absence will be felt by players who have grown so accustomed to his presence and the parts he plays in their various processes on and off the ball. Some adaptation will be necessary.
Chance for Leeds fringe players to stake a claim
"It's always beneficial if you have a player who is more or less joining us in each training session, each and every meeting, has played also different formations for us and also against different formations," said Farke. "Never that easy, and you prefer to have a player in his best possible rhythm and and used to playing together with the other team-mates. For that, especially in the central position, you don't change too much during the season if there is not a major injury or major lack of performance or something like this. And Joe was very, very impressive over the course of many, many months.
“He's a really, really quality player and a key player for us. So it's always a bit tricky, but sometimes you can't choose, and sometimes it's also beneficial to just put a player into the water, and then very often, if he's prepared, he proves that he can swim straight away.
"It's also a chance right now for a different player to to play in this position, or perhaps, if we change our formation, then perhaps for different player, an additional midfield player or offensive player, to show a good performance. And for that, I don't complain too much about this. We adapt to the situation and back the player who will be in the starting line-up."
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