Daniel Farke has a decision to make over the make-up of his Leeds United midfield, including whether Anton Stach should retain his place in the crucial game against West Ham.
Everything was right in the world of Leeds United after Daniel Farke inspired his side to a win over Everton in the opening game of the 2025/26 season.
However, the environment at Elland Road is more fraught ahead of the relegation battle against West Ham, as Leeds have slipped back towards the bottom three following consecutive defeats.
Anton Stach received criticism after the game against Burnley, as he struggled to make an impact in the Leeds midfield. Although Farke revealed Stach has been carrying two injuries in recent weeks, the drop-off in his performances is a concerning development.
Farke may be forced to make changes to the Leeds midfield for the game against West Ham, with doubts over the fitness of Ethan Ampadu. With Leeds staring down the barrel of a crucial game, Farke should consider reverting to plan A this season, by returning Ao Tanaka to the starting line-up.
Leeds United midfielder Anton Stach
Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
Ao Tanaka should start for Leeds United against West Ham
Leeds United returned to the Premier League with a bang against Everton and produced a performance which was more dominant than the final 1-0 scoreline suggests.
Tanaka was voted as Man of the Match by the Leeds fans after the game, as he formed part of a midfield trio alongside Stach and Ampadu.
As impressive as Tanaka was in the game, his influence on Stach was also clear, as the German produced one of his best performances of the season.
Leeds vs Everton Anton Stach Ao Tanaka
Touches 86 58
Shots 4 2
Chances Created 4 2
Defensive Contributions 12 6
Passes into final third 6 7
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According to the data from FotMob, Stach created the most chances in the game, with four, took four shots on goal, and made an impressive 12 defensive contributions in an all-action performance.
However, after creating 10 chances in his first three Premier League games, Stach has created just four in his last five appearances, as he struggles for form and fitness at the heart of the Leeds midfield.
With Farke under pressure to deliver a result, the Leeds boss should consider going back to his original midfield combination to attempt to find a new cutting edge against West Ham.
Ao Tanaka and Anton Stach during Leeds United v AC Milan, pre-season friendly match, Dublin.
Photo by Tim Clayton/Getty Images
Elland Road atmosphere will be key according to Tanaka
Speaking to the Leeds United website ahead of the crucial game against West Ham, Tanaka explained the key role that the Elland Road crowd will play.
According to Tanaka, the atmosphere was electric in the game against Everton, and a good performance will help to bring the best out of the Leeds crowd once again.
Tanaka said: “I think this game is a little bit different because against Everton as well, we play a night game, and then I think it was incredible, unbelievable.
“If we get a chance, if we play good, it makes so much good feeling here [for the crowd], so this is important for us to win this game.”