Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has a decision to make in his midfield to face West Ham, as he attempts to walk a delicate tightrope.
Daniel Farke has to try to inject more cutting-edge into his starting line-up, after Leeds wasted a succession of chances against Burnley.
One area of the Leeds side that could change is the midfield, with doubts over Ethan Ampadu’s fitness and Farke’s revelation that Anton Stach has been carrying two injuries in recent games.
This means that Ao Tanaka could come back into contention after being relegated to the bench, with Farke prioritising pragmatism over flair in his midfield engine room.
However, questions may start to be asked of summer signing Sean Longstaff, as the stats from the Premier League season to date show that his tackling, in particular, has room for improvement.
Sean Longstaff in action for Wolves.
Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
Sean Longstaff among the worst in the Premier League in key metric
Longstaff joined Leeds from Newcastle in the summer and has formed part of a defensively minded midfield trio alongside Ampadu and Anton Stach in recent weeks.
Although Longstaff has been one of Leeds’ better performers so far this season, scoring his first goal for the club against Bournemouth, the FBRef stats show that there is room for improvement in one key area.
Although Longstaff is ranked in the top five for the most tackles attempted, and joint-11th for the most successful tackles, his completion rate is a cause for concern.
Sean Longstaff in PL 25/26 Total Ranking
Tackles Attempted 25 =4th
Successful Tackles 11 =11th
Tackles Lost 14 =2nd
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Of the 25 tackles that Longstaff has attempted, he has lost 14, giving him a success rate of just 44%.
Heading into the game against West Ham, Longstaff sits joint-second in the Premier League for most tackles lost, with 11, alongside James Garner of Everton and behind Joao Gomes of Wolves.
Will Sean Longstaff play against West Ham?
Although Longstaff’s tackling needs some work, he is likely to retain his place in the Leeds midfield, especially given the doubts over his teammates.
Farke admitted that Stach has been carrying two injuries in recent weeks, after he was criticised for his performance at Turf Moor.
The Leeds boss also stated that he will have to make a late call on Ampadu’s availability, as the Leeds captain missed training in the week.
This could open the door for Japanese international Ao Tanaka to return in a move that most Leeds fans would welcome. Tanaka is more progressive than Leeds’ other midfielders and could help unlock their faltering attack.