Leeds United kick off their new Championship season at home against Cardiff City on Sunday.
Daniel Farke will take command of his first competitive game as Whites manager after a solid pre-season following his hiring last month.
After losses to Manchester United and Monaco, Leeds won their final two friendlies against Nottingham Forest and Hearts without conceding, giving hope that the squad is swiftly adapting to Farke’s style.
The 46-year-old gave a good indication of how he may line up in the last friendly against Scotland, but injuries and form mean that some critical selection decisions must still be made.
So, with that in mind, we’ve examined three of the most pressing issues facing the country this year.
Ayling vs. Drameh
Starting at the back, Cody Drameh and Luke Ayling are locked in a struggle to establish themselves as Leeds’ first choice right-back.
After such a productive loan period at Luton, along with Ayling’s disappointing end to the season, it wouldn’t have been unjust to imply Drameh was leading the way at the start of pre-season.
Drameh, on the other hand, had a slight hamstring injury at the worst possible time and thus missed the summer’s final two friendlies.
Drameh is likely to be healthy to face his previous club Cardiff, but Ayling may have surpassed him due to his extensive playing time.
Summerville vs. Poveda
This time ten days ago, there would have been no argument because the writing was on the wall for Ian Poveda’s future at Leeds.
However, two great performances against Forest and Hearts have put him right back in contention at the expense of Luis Sinisterra, Dan James, and Crysencio Summerville.
Poveda is a better natural match for the number 10 role Farke prefers, while Summerville has been the preferred option during preseason when he was available.
It’s difficult to imagine Summerville not receiving the nod despite being linked with a £12 million move to the Premier League, but Poveda couldn’t have done much more.
Striker
Leeds are presently without a recognised senior number nine after Patrick Bamford and Georginio Rutter both walked off injured in Edinburgh last week.
At this point, Joe Gelhardt and Wilfried Gnonto appear to be the most likely replacements if Bamford and Rutter are both away, albeit this is far from ideal.
Gelhardt has already stated that he wants to play as a number 10, despite leading the line on multiple occasions for Sunderland last season.
Meanwhile, Gnonto has played for Italy down the middle, but only in a front two, and he has looked far more dangerous as a left flank.
At this point, it’s a toss-up as to who gets the nod.
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