Leeds United coach Jesse Marsch must rotate his squad wherever possible this week as his side prepares for two games in three days.
Having already faced the league leaders, the Whites will now be focusing on the away match with Leicester City on Thursday and then the home game with Fulham on Sunday. Marsch must balance the minutes across his squad to prevent any injuries, and this task could be tricky with still a number of first-team players on the sidelines. In the article posted by LeedsLive via Twitter, Marsch has a squad capable of rotation with only Leo Hjelde, Adam Forshaw, Archie Gray and Stuart Dallas on the treatment table.
It is unclear if fit again Junior Firpo will go straight in at left-back, or if Pascal Struijk will retain his place in the starting line-up. The centre-back has been in excellent form playing out of position and Jesse Marsch spoke highly about him last week. He said, “Right now, Pascal is playing at such a high level we will start with Pascal on the weekend, but we need to get Junior fully fit and healthy. He trained all week this week, he looks really good.”
“He’s still a really important piece for us as things go forward. We have a three-game week coming up, so I anticipate he will be ready to go and we will definitely need minutes from him and we’ll evaluate exactly what we do for each match, but he’s ready.”
"We have a three-game week coming up, so I anticipate he will be ready to go and we will definitely need minutes from him and we'll evaluate exactly what we do for each match, but he's ready.” #lufc https://t.co/C9llOnh9J6
— Leeds United Live (@liveleedsunited) October 18, 2022
The way in which Marsch rotates his team and manages the player’s minutes will be crucial as the players will have played three games in eight days after the Fulham match. The need to keep players fresh and protect them from injury will be key to where Leeds find themselves in the Premier League table when the season takes a short break for the World Cup in November. This season they seem better equipped to deal with injuries after a summer overhaul of the squad which saw the overall size of the squad improved, giving better strength in depth.
There are still areas that need strengthening and the Whites will hope that business can be done in January.
What do fans think, is the squad better equipped to deal with injuries now? Let us know in the comments.