Leeds United midfielder Anton Stach was not as impressive against Fulham as he has been in other Premier League appearances.
In the end, Leeds United lost the game 1-0 late in the game. Anton Stach played the full 90 minutes, as he has in every league game thus far since moving to English football from the Bundesliga.
Stach was Leeds’ most expensive signing at £19.9 million if all add-ons are met, having been brought in from German side Hoffenheim. He had a strong start, with Stach shining for much of August.
Leeds’ set-piece taker currently is Stach and his surprising deliveries, albeit they were not the best at Craven Cottage on Saturday. That is what he has addressed on social media since.
Anton Stach looks on during Leeds United v Everton - Premier League
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Anton Stach’s verdict on Fulham 1-0 Leeds United
Despite a difficult game against Marco Silva’s side, Stach has been named Leeds’ best signing of the summer. Players like Stach have, crucially, made Leeds significantly taller and more combative overall, too.
Germany international Stach is only behind Bruno Fernandes in Premier League chances created. That is a fact Graham Smyth can’t believe about Stach but his corner duties go a long way to explaining it.
The Leeds midfielder has bettered Emi Buendia in a number of impressive categories as one of the best starters to a new campaign under ex-Norwich City manager Daniel Farke.’
Per FotMob, Stach was accurate with just 27 of his 36 passes, and he had three shots which were all off target. His defensive numbers were largely solid but a 6.5 overall match rating is his second worst of the league season after Arsenal.
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Stach knows his standards need to be higher and he took to social media to disclose his thoughts post-match on Sunday evening.
Stach wrote: “Tough loss, but we keep pushing :muscle::skin-tone-2:“
Bayer 04 Leverkusen v FC Bayern München - Bundesliga
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Anton Stach’s World Cup chances with Germany
This season is a World Cup year, with players like Stach looking to impress and break into the squad via a strong campaign at club level. That said, Stach is far from the Germany fold.
Julian Nagelsmann is keeping an eye on Stach but he only has two caps for Germany. Those appearances came way back in 2022 and the 6’4″ powerhouse has not been involved or even called-up since.
Bild said recently on Stach: “Good start to the season, exciting profile as a strong running midfielder and sweeper in front of the defence. Nagelsmann is still looking for an ideal replacement for captain Joshua Kimmich.”
That is a comparison which catches the eye, given the quality of the Bayern Munich midfielder. However, Stach performing as well as he did against Everton all season would make it difficult to overlook him.