There are a few question marks regarding Daniel Farke’s starting line-up on Tuesday night when Leeds United take on Middlesbrough at The Riverside – and fans have been discussing it on X.
One win in six, three consecutive draws and now sitting in the play-off positions, Leeds desperately need to beat Middlesbrough to reignite their push for automatic promotion and Farke has got to get it right.
Having dropped Illan Meslier and Brenden Aaronson due to poor form, Farke has shown he is not afraid to wield the axe even if fans would have made those decisions a lot sooner than the German finally did.
The biggest issue to deal with is that of Pascal Struijk. The Leeds vice captain will be missing for the next two games, and could be out for longer if scans show he has fractured his foot during the draw at Luton.
Leeds fans want Max Wober to start for one very good reason
Farke has two viable ways to deal with Struijk’s absence. The most-likely option is that he will drop captain Ethan Ampadu into defence alongside Joe Rodon, limiting his options in the middle of the midfield.
It also means Ampadu’s presence and fight is lost in the most-important area of the pitch. That, or Farke hands a start to Max Wober after the Jesse Marsch signing came on to replace Struijk on Saturday.
Farke suggested that normally, he would not start Wober after such a long injury lay-off. But this is the Championship run-in, where there is no time to spare and Leeds fans want Farke to hand Wober a start.
It seems the main reason Leeds want Wober to start is to keep Ampadu in midfield, with many against the idea of Ilia Gruev coming in alongside Ao Tanaka. Joe Rothwell is injured and will be for the next four.
One fan said the idea of Gruev starting in midfield makes him “feel sick”. Another said that he does not want to see “Ampadu step foot into CB unless forced to do so”, preferring the skipper in midfield.
Another urged Farke to start Wober because if Gruev is in midfield, the Middlesbrough “will have full control walking through our CM”. Another thinks Leeds get “overrun” with Gruev and Tanaka in midfield.
Max Wober has already played against Middlesbrough this term
It did not go to plan. One of only three starts for the Austrian this season, who has had to tend with more than his fair share of injuries since returning to Elland Road after a loan spell at Gladbach last season.
The first of those three starts this season came against Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup. Wober looked rusty alongside Joe Rodon as Boro ran riot in the second half, netting a 3-0 win over a beleaguered Leeds.
If Wober is to start, which remains unlikely given he is only just back from injury, he will have to play a whole lot better than he did during the Elland Road defeat back in August against Michael Carrick’s men.
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox
