Pundit outlines Daniel Farke's biggest Leeds United job yet amid Championship play-off warning

Daniel Farke would have a huge job on his hands to pick his players up for the play-offs, should Leeds United miss out on automatic promotion this weekend. That's the belief of pundit and former Reading and Watford man Jobi McAnuff, who believes the disappointment of missing out on the top two could be difficult to bounce back from.

Leeds take on Southampton at Elland Road this weekend and they know that nothing less than a win will do if they are to stand a chance of pipping Ipswich Town to the final automatic promotion spot available, behind champions Leicester City. The Whites also need Ipswich, who sit three points clear of the Whites, to fall to a shock defeat against the all but relegated Huddersfield Town at Portman Road.

The odds are stacked against them and you'd struggle to find a pundit or expert in the game tipping the Whites to finish inside the top two from this point, especially given the manner of their 4-0 defeat to QPR last time out. As such, it seems more than likely that the Whites will have to settle for a play-off spot in the Championship. Leeds don't have a good record in the play-offs and Farke will have been desperate to avoid having to go through the mini tournament to win promotion. Given they would enter the play-offs as the highest ranked side, Leeds would be the favourites to go on and secure a return to the top flight at Wembley Stadium.

But, McAnuff has warned that Farke must move quickly to lift his Whites players, should they fall short this weekend.

“I always thought if it was going to be Ipswich that go up," McAnuff told the BBC's Football Daily Podcast. "I would definitely fear for the other two at the time in terms of dropping out, but Southampton have had a little more time to get over that and be prepared, although they are on a real bad run.

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“It is going to be tough for Leeds having been so close after that run they put together from the start of the year, you felt it would be them who’d get that second place. But they are just so up and down at the minute, they were so consistent and solid for so long but they have lost that. That 4-0 at QPR, they were all over the place and Daniel Farke has a massive job to get them going for the play-offs.”

Should Leeds finish the regular campaign in third, they would face either Norwich City, West Bromwich Albion or Hull City over a two-legged semi-final. The first leg, which would see Leeds play away, is due to be played on Sunday, May 12, with the return leg set for Thursday, May 16. The play-off final will be held at the national stadium, of course, on Sunday, May 26.