After a dismal final month of the season in which they managed only eight points in as many games, the Whites were forced to settle for a top six finish in the regular campaign.

Unsurprisingly, Leeds was unable to overcome Ipswich Town in the final day of play. As a result, they will now play Daniel Farke’s former team, Norwich City, in a two-leg match to secure a trip to Wembley.

It would be reasonable to argue that Leeds supporters are not overly optimistic going into the play-offs after such a dismal end to the season.

In addition, Martin O’Neill thinks Farke has a difficult job ahead of him in helping his team get past the disappointment of not receiving automatic wins, but that is precisely what he is paid to accomplish.

Farke must improve one key area for Leeds to win play-offs

Leeds’ eight-day window between their loss to Southampton on the final day of play and their first-leg journey to Carrow Road on Sunday will give manager Farke plenty of time to consider how to make improvements to his team.

It will be important to boost the self-assurance of players like Georginio Rutter, but he also needs to consider what he can do better at home.Thirteen hours prior

The usage of his bench has been one area where Farke has fallen short, and a few of his shortcomings have been exposed in recent weeks.

Leeds had only scored five goals through substitutes, according to Opta research conducted during the March international break. With Mateo Joseph scoring at Watford and Joel Piroe at Coventry City, that has only gone up by two to seven points since then.

Ipswich and Southampton had both crossed the 20-goal threshold from substitutes by the same timeframe that Leeds had five, demonstrating the value of timely and successful substitutions.

Farke frequently waits until it is far too late to make changes. His first substitution occurred shortly before the 70th minute against Blackburn Rovers and not until the 75th at Boro. The 71st was Sunderland.

Even though QPR was the first team to score at sixty-three, Leeds had just put on their worst first-half performance of the year, therefore adjustments ought to have been made at the half.

There just isn’t enough time for people to join the game, pick up the tempo, and start having an impact.

Subs can be especially useful in play-offs for Leeds

For players, the EFL playoffs are without a doubt the most physically and psychologically taxing moment of the season.

Of course, playing such pivotal matches at the end of a 46-game season will be physically taxing, but there’s also a psychological cost to knowing your season could end with a loss.

In light of this, it may be rather beneficial to bring on substitutes early against fatigued bodies and minds, especially when you take into account some of Farke’s depth.

Farke would have an abundance of options when it comes to attacking players if Dan James and Patrick Bamford return on Sunday. He just needs to utilize them if things aren’t going smoothly.