Four-and-a-half hours of match time under Sam Allardyce has allowed a very small degree of tactical familiarity to build within Leeds United’s ranks. However, the head coach has warned he may be about to tear it all up to start again for Sunday’s finale.
Tottenham Hotspur visit Elland Road at the weekend with only a win giving Leeds the slim chance they have of leapfrogging two rivals before full-time. However, Allardyce may feel like he has his hand tied behind his back in putting together a plan for his last chance at finding a victory.
Patrick Bamford limped away from Sunday’s West Ham United loss with a hamstring injury, while Rodrigo was visibly struggling with a plantar fascia issue despite being kept on for the full 90 minutes. Allardyce felt he could not remove his chief goal threat while Leeds remained within one strike of their hosts.
READ MORE: Sam Allardyce has risked losing part of Leeds United's dressing room to find Sunday's soldiers
If neither of Allardyce’s senior strikers are fit to play at the weekend, the former England boss has not been shy in illustrating the bleak outlook. With Georginio Rutter virtually discarded, Allardyce could look to Crysencio Summerville, Sam Greenwood, Wilfried Gnonto, Brenden Aaronson or Jack Harrison as options down the middle.
As nobody else possesses the same attributes as Bamford or Rodrigo it could be a complete reset on Allardyce's tactical plan. He was asked if he saw anything in Sunday’s loss to inspire confidence behind a Spurs miracle.
“It depends on the injuries we have to Rodrigo and Patrick Bamford,” he said. “If both of those miss, based on what we do up front after that, [it] is a big ask.
“That is a fact. I can't hide the fact who am I going to play up front if those two are missing?
“We might have to choose to play a completely different system with the players we've got available to create an opportunity to win a game. Certainly from a defensive point of view, we have to work at keeping quiet Harry Kane and Son [Heung-min].”
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