Daniel Farke
Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has come under fire for his stubborn team selections and reluctance to make changes despite several players struggling for form. That reputation was only reinforced by his own admission in Wednesday afternoon’s press conference.
The Whites are feeling the heat after a run of one win in seven and back-to-back Premier League defeats. They are in desperate need of a positive result and performance ahead of hosting West Ham at Elland Road on Friday night.
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Leeds went down tamely in their 2-0 defeat against relegation rivals Burnley on Saturday, and Farke again played a couple of players who could have been easily dropped to the bench for fresher ideas, given their current form.
There are serious discussions about whether Anton Stach should be dropped to make way for Ao Tanaka in the team due to his poor recent form. However, Farke added more fuel to the fire on Wednesday when he conceded that the German midfielder has been playing with an injury.
Daniel Farke makes a shock Leeds United injury admission
Stach has not performed well in the last few games and has attracted criticism for not doing enough to provide a spark from the midfield.
Farke has revealed that the new signing’s form has suffered because of a rib injury he has been carrying, which has not allowed him to perform at his best.
The midfielder was already carrying a broken finger, and the Leeds boss is hopeful that the international break was enough to help him return to his full fitness.
“Overall, he has delivered really good performances”, Farke said in a press conference.
“Top signing for us, crucial, a key player. I would agree that the last two games weren’t at the top level. He has been playing with a broken finger.
“And a problem with his body, sometimes when you have this, you don’t play with freedom. I can tell this about him, not at the top level like he was before.
“If we can get rid of these physical problems with his finger, his ribs, then he will start delivering top performances again. This week, he has had some time to recover. I hope he can return to his early form.”
Ao Tanaka must feel infuriated
Ao Tanaka lost his place in the team to Sean Longstaff earlier in the season and has been waiting for a chance to prove his worth again at some point.
There are suggestions that the Japanese midfielder could replace Stach in the team to provide more attacking impetus from midfield against teams such as Burnley and West Ham.
However, Farke has stuck with Stach, even when he is carrying an injury, and has decided against giving Tanaka an opportunity to start again.
He must be wondering what he needs to get another opportunity since a half-fit and out-of-form Stach is playing ahead of him in the starting eleven.
Tanaka is better on the ball, can build from the back with his incisive passing, while Stach is more of a physical outlet who is better when he is ahead of the ball.
However, it doesn’t seem like the Leeds manager will change things against West Ham, and Stach will start at Elland Road while Tanaka will look on from the bench.
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