Sam Allardyce knows what’s at stake when Leeds United head to West Ham United on Sunday afternoon. Secure the three points and Leeds would give themselves a good chance of securing Premier League survival on the final day.
Lose and the Whites would be staring down the barrel of relegation with just one fixture left to play this season. As such, it’s vital that the head coach gets his selection right at the London Stadium and on the face of it he has several decisions to consider.
Here’s a look at the selection calls Allardyce will be mulling over ahead of the penultimate match of the campaign.
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Defence
Joel Robles may have conceded four goals in his two league games under Allardyce, but he has done enough to ensure his position is secure until the end of the season now, you’d think. As such, the focus here needs to be on the backline and changes will need to be made.
Junior Firpo will miss the clash through suspension and that could force something of a reshuffle at the back. Pascal Struijk is available to come in and play on the left, while Max Wober can also play the full-back role.
Of course, Wober has been playing as a left-sided centre-back, so moving him would only seem to make sense if Liam Cooper were passed fit to play, as Allardyce suggested he could be last week. The skipper has missed Leeds’ last two but his leadership would be a huge asset to the side in east London.
Rasmus Kristensen and Luke Ayling, the goalscorers for Leeds on Saturday against Newcastle United, appear settled in their respective roles at present and their selection looks likely.
Midfield
If he’s fit enough to start, Forshaw simply has to be named in Allardyce’s starting line-up this week. The midfielder emerged at half-time against Newcastle but instantly improved the Whites’ midfield and gave the hosts more of a presence as they battled to claim a point.
It seems unlikely that he would be given the full 90, but the 31-year-old has plenty to offer from the off against the Hammers. With Robin Koch playing well as the sitting midfielder against the Magpies, Forshaw’s introduction would see one of Sam Greenwood or Weston McKennie drop out of the starting XI.
Greenwood struggled before being replaced at half-time by Forshaw, while McKennie hasn’t looked entirely at home in Leeds’ line-up for a while, putting both players at risk of being dropped. Marc Roca is available and after being dropped last week he will be keen to prove a point to the head coach, while Leeds also have Jack Harrison and Brenden Aaronson, who could be utilised in the midfield three if required.
Attack
Allardyce has a huge call to make when it comes to selecting who will lead the line for the Whites. Despite receiving praise from his head coach after the game, Patrick Bamford’s confidence seemed to take another hit against Newcastle as he missed a penalty that would have given Leeds a two-goal advantage.
He did pick up an assist and he’ll take encouragement from elements of his game but he never looked comfortable in front of goal. As such, Allardyce must decide whether to stick with him or move top scorer Rodrigo off the right and into the centre-forward slot.
If that were to be the case, one of Wilfried Gnonto or Crysencio Summerville would move into the line-up and onto the flank, with Harrison expected to keep his spot on the left. It’s a huge call and it promises to have pretty big consequences one way or the other.
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