Daniel Farke has made it clear that one of his ‘reliable’ players has lost his place in the Leeds United starting XI.
Leeds United took on West Ham United in a must-win fixture in the Premier League relegation battle on Friday night and roared to victory.
Daniel Farke’s side have struggled to convert their chances this season but had no such issue against a hapless West Ham as Brenden Aaronson and Joe Rodon found the net within 14 minutes.
Though the Hammers came back into things after the break and pulled a goal back late on through Mateus Fernandes, Leeds held out for a big win.
It was clear how important a victory was in the match as Farke made four changes to the starting XI that struggled against Burnley, with Lucas Perri’s return to the side being a key one.
There had been a debate about who should be the first choice out of Perri or Karl Darlow, but Farke has settled that now.
Karl Darlow in action during Leeds United v AC Milan - Pre-Season Friendly
Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
Daniel Farke delivers verdict on Leeds United goalkeeper debate
Perri has been out of action since August with an injury, after keeping two clean sheets in his first three games, but conceding five against Arsenal.
Darlow replaced him and put in solid performances without being able to keep a clean sheet, though the Welshman didn’t cover himself in glory for Burnley’s two goals last weekend, with a fit-again Perri watching from the bench.
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The Brazilian returned to the starting XI against West Ham and Farke explained that was always going to be the case, making it clear that Darlow is the second choice and has lost his place in the side.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the game, Farke said: “Yes. First of all, I have to say that we all love Karl Darlow and he’s always solid, always reliable. Never cracks under pressure when we need him.
“Done a really solid job in recent weeks when we needed him.
“But, we also make no secret that we’ve signed Lucas Perri as No.1, and right now he’s done three and a half weeks back in team training and also a full week with all the national team players back now and for that, it was a straightforward decision that he would be back.”
How Lucas Perri played for Leeds vs West Ham United
Perri enjoyed a solid return to the starting XI, though he wasn’t tested much with West Ham managing just three shots on target.
Yet, the big Brazilian denied an acrobatic Jarrod Bowen effort and tipped away a loose ball afterwards and was forced into a couple of other stops.
There was little Perri could do with Fernandes’ deft header or Lucas Paqueta’s disallowed goal from close range, but he still managed to impress with his quick feet off the line, commanding presence in the box and good organisation of his back-line.
It’s clear Perri will be the No.1 when he’s fit.