Inside Elland Road: Brenden Aaronson praise
The £17m German midfielder has been dropped from the starting line-up for Leeds United's last two Premier League games.
Leeds United midfielder Anton Stach admits he must be at the top of his game consistently to earn a place in the German national team for next year’s World Cup.
Stach joined Leeds from Hoffenheim in a £17million deal over the summer and his start to life at Elland Road has been mixed. The 6ft 4ins midfielder was outstanding against Everton on the opening night and Wolves in September, but has struggled to hit those heights in recent weeks.
Daniel Farke dropped Stach for the first time this season against West Ham after a 2-0 defeat at Burnley in which the 26-year-old was under-par, allowing Lesley Ugochukwu to run off him and score. The Leeds boss later revealed his midfielder was managing a rib issue and a broken finger.
Stach could well return to the starting line-up at Nottingham Forest on Sunday, with none of Ethan Ampadu, Sean Longstaff and Ao Tanaka standing out at Brighton. But the experienced midfielder knows he needs to produce those moments of quality on a more consistent basis to be recognised by Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann.
Asked by German magazine Kicker (via FussballTransfers) if moving to Leeds improved his chance of a call-up, Stach replied: "Yes, I really hope so, because the Premier League is a fantastic league. You have very, very good opponents. If you prove yourself here and have a good season, that also generates attention.
“I’ve mentioned several times that returning to the national team is a big goal of mine, as is the 2026 World Cup. Ultimately, you simply have to perform very, very well and consistently on an individual level.”
Could Anton Stach return to the Leeds United starting-XI at Nottingham Forest?
Midfield is arguably the area of the pitch Leeds are strongest but as of yet, Farke doesn’t seem set on a first-choice trio. He started with Stach and Tanaka either side of Ampadu against Everton, which worked to great effect, but Longstaff came in after a 5-0 thumping at Arsenal and has been impressive for large parts.
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A trio of Ampadu, Longstaff and Stach lacked the necessary guile to break down a resolute Burnley defence last month which signalled the return of Tanaka for the 2-1 win over West Ham. But again, Leeds could have done with a little more physicality at Brighton on Saturday.
Finding that balance has proven challenging for Farke but with Sunday’s trip to Nottingham Forest likely to have an attritional affair, Stach’s physicality could prove important. The German will hopefully be able to rediscover his early-season form after shaking off any rib issues as well.
Leeds will head to the City Ground knowing they need to start picking up points on the road, with September’s win at Wolves their only positive result. Sean Dyche’s Forest drew 2-2 at Manchester United last weekend and have a midweek Europa League trip to Sturm Graz to focus on before hosting the Whites.
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