Daniel Farke has shed light into how he will approach the busy Christmas period in terms of rotating his Leeds United squad.
Leeds face the first of four matches in just nine days on Saturday when they host second-place Ipswich Town at Elland Road, in what will be a huge match in the race for the top two.
In recent weeks, Farke has opted against rotating his starting XI with Djed Spence for Sam Byram the only change he has made in the last five matches, which was actually an enforced one.
But defeat to Sunderland and only a point against Coventry City have led to some conversations about whether the team is a little fatigued, claims which Ethan Ampadu dismissed earlier this week.
Speaking in his pre-Ipswich press conference, though, Farke has admitted rotation will need to happen over the next couple of weeks, though it may not happen on Saturday.
Farke has to rotate more for Leeds
He said: “Have to be even more focused on recovery. Timing the sessions is tricky when you have a difficult away game in the evening of the 29th.
“Just home at 3am the following morning before playing two days later. Smarter in your recovery. We will not start all four games in 10 days with the same XI. Mix it up in this period.”
Farke has more than enough quality on his bench to make more changes than he does and hopefully those fringe players can prove as much over Christmas.
Wilfried Gnonto is among those who deserve more game time having shown signs of promise in his recent cameos off the bench, while Ilia Gruev also needs a chance.
Though Ampadu has dismissed claims he is feeling tired, Farke should not be afraid to rotate key players like him, even if he has been crucial so far this season.
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox
