Leeds United manager Daniel Farke is under immense pressure after his side suffered a tame 2-0 defeat against relegation rivals Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday. The German head coach may have to make a few selection decisions that could make or break him at Elland Road in the near future.
The positivity around Leeds’ solid start to life back in the Premier League dissipated quickly at Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon following the final whistle at the end of the game. Burnley players were jubilant while the Leeds stars were left to rue a poor 2-0 defeat against their relegation rivals.
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Farke is again facing questions about his ability to keep a team in the Premier League, and Leeds’s struggles in front of the goal have exposed one of the biggest flaws in the team – they are not scoring enough.
The Leeds boss has been accused of favouritism and showing blind loyalty towards certain players. He is facing a huge selection dilemma against West Ham on Friday night that may end up deciding whether he stays at Elland Road in the near future.
The Leeds United boss must drop marquee signing Anton Stach
Anton Stach has started every Premier League game for Leeds this season, and his physicality came in handy as the Whites looked more resilient and competitive in the initial weeks.
However, the German midfielder’s ability to be more attacking in the middle of the park has been questioned, and there are suggestions that Farke is sacrificing ingenuity to have more stability in midfield.
But against a team like Burnley, who were always happy to have less possession and sit back, Leeds needed something more from the midfield, and Stach failed to provide that.
He is not a progressive carrier of the ball and cannot make those passes into the final third or the opposition box consistently, which could unlock teams who are happy to sit back.
With Ethan Ampadu and Sean Longstaff taking care of the defensive duties in midfield, the Leeds manager can afford to drop Stach for a more attacking option.
The German has been solid, but Leeds need something more against West Ham if they are to beat the Hammers at Elland Road on Friday night.
Stach needs to be dropped in favour of a real promotion hero, who may add that little bit more attacking instinct to the Leeds midfield in the coming days.
Ao Tanaka must return to the team
Tanaka started the season in the starting eleven, but an injury pushed him out of the team, and he has since been trying to get back into the mix.
He was the Championship’s best midfield and his ability to find those passes in the final third and get to the end of balls inside the penalty box made him such a brilliant player to watch.
Leeds need that in their midfield, especially against a West Ham side who are struggling and will sit back and look to counter at Elland Road on Friday night.
The Whites need one of their midfielders to play those line-breaking passes, and Tanaka is the ideal player to come into the starting eleven against the Hammers.
He was the player in the Championship who did that, while Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev handled the more physical and defensive demands in midfield.
The Leeds captain and Longstaff can do the job in the Premier League, leaving Tanaka to be the creator in the middle of the park for Leeds.
Farke needs his team to get a result against West Ham as a home defeat on Friday night could signal the end of his reign as Leeds manager.
Can you name these 10 former Leeds United midfielders?
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