Daniel Farke now has three key members of his Leeds United squad on the verge of one-match bans.
The Whites comfortably dispatched Sheffield United 2-0 at Elland Road on Friday night but Farke did express some concern after the match about possible suspensions.
Despite coming into the game as the only unbeaten side in the EFL, Sheffield United barely laid a glove on Leeds across the entire 90 minutes.
That is reflected in the fact Leeds’ only booking in the match came as a result of ‘delaying the restart’, with not one of the Blades’ attacking players causing any sort of issues.
Chris Wilder admitted Leeds were much the better side after the game and it is hard to look beyond that as the best result of the season so far.
Farke has Junior Firpo, Jayden Bogle and Joe Rodon suspension concern
Much of the focus in the last couple of weeks has been about Leeds’ lack of depth in midfield after losing both Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev to long-term injuries.
Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell have both been brilliant since coming into the team, while free agent Josuha Guilavogui looks as though he will be coming in as cover.
With that in mind, it is at the back where Farke is more concerned. Alongside Ampadu and Gruev, Max Wober is also still in the process of recovering from injury and so Leeds’ only current backup option at centre-back is untested James Debayo.
And Leeds’ depth in defence could well be put to the test in the coming weeks, with Junior Firpo, Joe Rodon and Jayden Bogle now all one booking away from a ban.
Firpo picked up a needless yellow card late on in last night’s match and so all three have another nine matches, until December 7, to get away without picking up another.
Based on their record of four yellow cards in just 10 matches, that looks like a big ask and so Farke’s squad looks set to be put to the test.
When is Max Wober due back from injury for Leeds?
In an ideal world, if both Firpo and Bogle were to pick up suspensions, then they would be in different matches.
Leeds are well stocked at full-back with both Isaac Schmidt and Sam Byram in reserve on the bench, but given how important they are to Farke’s system this season, he won’t want to lose them at the same time.
A ban for Rodon would give Farke more of a headache. Debayo is there waiting for a debut, but whether Farke thinks he is ready remains to be seen. Guilavogui can cover there if he signs.
However, thankfully it appears as though Wober is ahead of schedule for his return from injury and so hopefully he is fully fit before Rodon picks up another yellow.
In his post-match press conference, he said: “We still need one because the next game is Tuesday. A lot of rest for us by our standards. We have to stay awake with the options out there, with centre-backs too.
“Thank God, Max is coming back, but he has missed a lot of football. Yellow cards too. We need depth. If there is a chance, we will do it. If we find a perfect fit, physical player who covers two positions, adds experience, that would be beneficial.”
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox
