Daniel Farke must know it’s time to give ‘Premier League level’ Leeds United ace first start of season vs Middlesbrough

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Leeds United have to save their season from falling apart, and a tough test against Middlesbrough tonight might force Daniel Farke to change his mind on one player.

It’s been a disastrous few weeks for Leeds, with just one win in six seeing the Whites drop to third place in the table for the first time since December.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	BurnleyBurnley	40	23	15	2	55	12	43	84
2	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	40	26	7	7	56	30	26	83
3	LeedsLeeds	40	23	13	4	79	28	51	82
4	SunderlandSunderland	40	21	12	7	57	37	20	75
5	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	40	17	9	14	61	49	12	60
6	Bristol CityBristol City	40	15	15	10	51	43	8	60

While supercomputers predict Leeds can still get promoted, most expect Daniel Farke’s side to now fall by the wayside in this thrilling title race.

They go up against a resurgent Middlesbrough tonight at the Riverside, who have promotion ambitions of their own to think about, and will be licking their lips at the prospect of further harming Leeds’ hopes.

• READ MORE: Leeds United supporters will not be pleased with Daniel Farke after latest Largie Ramazani verdict

Misfiring Joel Piroe needs to be replaced, Patrick Bamford must step in

Predicting the Middlesbrough vs Leeds scoreline is difficult, but knowing what’s going through the mind of Farke is even harder.

However, there is one area that we think Leeds need to deal with, and after seeing Farke make a tough call on Illan Meslier already, we know the manager won’t be afraid to mix things up with his team selection.

Joel Piroe, who had been in fine form and gunning for the Championship Golden Boot, has now failed to score in his last six games. The striker’s downturn in fortunes has coincided with the team’s demise, and it’s time for Farke to pull the plug and freshen up the Leeds attack.

While Farke has recently claimed (via the BBC) Patrick Bamford is not ready to start, he did admit that the veteran striker is “always important” and praised him for a “beneficial” cameo at the weekend against Luton Town.

Bamford may be a million miles away from the striker he used to be, but he’s still the kind of player who can offer a moment of magic. Plus, given his long absence, we know Bamford will be hungry to prove himself, especially against his former side.

It would be a risk to start Bamford with his multitude of fitness issues, but Farke is a manager with his back against the wall, and with this Boro clash proving to be one of the most important games of the season for Leeds, he has to make a bold decision.

• READ MORE: Michael Carrick and Daniel Farke disagreed last time Leeds met Middlesbrough, now they’re both desperate to be right

Daniel Farke said Patrick Bamford isn’t ready, but Leeds United are desperate

Farke will certainly be in two minds with this one, but he only needs to look back at his past comments on Bamford to realise that he has a player capable of firing Leeds to promotion.

Indeed, back in October (via the Yorkshire Evening Post), Farke admitted that Leeds would not be in the Championship if Bamford had been fit for more of the 2023/24 campaign.

He said: “I’m still convinced with a fit Patrick Bamford we would already play at a Premier League level. We didn’t have him available for the run-in and play-offs.”

Now, with Leeds falling apart again, surely Farke won’t let the same issue plague his team for a second year running. Bamford is ready and waiting, and he has to put his trust in the 31-year-old tonight.