Six question marks or outright absences hang over Leeds United as they prepare for the trip north to Sunderland, just three days after their slog to Norfolk. Ilia Gruev hobbling off from the field in the first half of Tuesday’s match was high on the list of unwanted developments, but Daniel Farke knows what a Championship season does to a squad.
The German’s desire for those last four transfers in the summer window is looking wiser by the day, as he shuffles his slim deck around these absences. There are limits, however, to what his squad can cope with and he is clear they cannot afford any more selection blows, at least until he gets some of his wounded back in training.
Rotation of the players he does have is paramount to surviving such a difficult spell. It also serves to keep his fringe options onside when they can see Farke has faith in them.
“It’s always a tricky period, but I’m also used to it,” he said. “I’ve had a few games already in the Championship and know the load is sometimes incredible.
“This is really, even by Championship standards, a bit of a special occasion because three games within six days and then two away games as the second and the third game is a bit special. You have to adapt a bit to this situation.
“If you don’t use any options in your squad and try to share the minutes a little bit when you have three games in six days, then there’s never the time to do this. You have to do this because if you always would play just with 11 players through this game, you could send a completely different and wrong sign to the players in our squad.
“It’s important they all know they are needed and we also need them. It’s quite important.”
Wilfried Gnonto and Largie Ramazani were each taken off before the end of Tuesday’s draw with Norwich City, despite their evident impact on the home defence. Farke defended those decisions because of the importance of keeping them both fit, but ready to have an impact in Friday’s game too.
“During the time when you have more injuries, or you are unlucky in terms of injuries, you monitor the players even more,” he said. “You speak about, for example, wingers.
“With Daniel James and Manor Solomon, two really important players for us not available at the moment. You also want to make sure players like Willy Gnonto or Ramazani are ready to start three games, perhaps within six days.
“Normally you would mix it a bit up in the starting line-up, but to make sure they can start all three games within six days, and not just to start, but also to deliver, you speak a lot with the medical department. ‘What can we do to support their recovery, their nutrition, their good habits, their sleep?’
“It’s important, from the sport science, to get advice. [Looking at] when their workload drops down during a game, when they seem to get scared.
“We can’t afford, at the moment, another injury, because we are a bit thin in these positions.”
If the injuries are mounting up as the side approaches January, Farke will no doubt want to see some action in the transfer window. If they cannot afford more injuries than the six they were carrying away from Norfolk, that may prove to be a watershed figure when it comes to incomings the manager wants.
The free agent market has already been virtually ruled out by Farke. He believes it would be very rare to find a player with the right attributes, unemployed and in a position to get match sharp in a satisfactory time period.
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