Leeds United
Daniel Farke got the chance to rest some Leeds United players in the FA Cup tie against Birmingham City over the weekend. The Whites had some growing injury problems in and around the squad.
So the Leeds boss went with a rotated team to face the Championship side, much like in the third round against Derby County. Leeds managed to stroll past Derby, but Birmingham City put up a fight. It took extra time and a penalty shootout for Daniel Farke’s side to progress to the next round.
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There were some good performances, with Sean Longstaff impressing and Lucas Perri showing his ability. On the other hand, Facundo Buonanotte had a night to forget; Farke has spoken on the midfielder’s performance on his first full start.
Leeds United star will regret not taking FA Cup opportunity
Ao Tanaka was also on the pitch in the FA Cup win, but he was not his usual self. While Longstaff made his presence in the match known, the Japanese international did not make much of an impact during his time on the pitch. Ahead of this weekend’s game against Aston Villa, Daniel Farke mentioned that having Anton Stach back will be a ‘big boost’:
”Big boost, same to have Struijk and James back too.”
”Anton is fantastic, and played a crucial role for us. Balances the physical side and is also good on the ball, tactically spot on, top character with good technique.”
Farke’s declaration is a huge hint that Ao Tanaka is one of the last options among the midfielders, with Ilia Gruev taking up a starting role with Sean Longstaff’s recent absence. Now, the Japanese international will have to wonder if he will get a run of games off the back of the FA Cup performance.
READ MORE: ‘If I’m honest…’ – Daniel Farke delivers brutally honest Facundo Buonanotte assessment
Ao Tanaka has underperformed this season
From being one of the first names on the team sheet last season, Tanaka has found himself slowly dropping down the pecking order. His place has been taken by Anton Stach this season, and even when the first choice midfielders were injured, he fell behind Gruev. He has been decent in flashes, but has not been himself since arriving in the Premier League, maybe the level of competition is a bit too demanding for him. It will be very interesting to see what happens with Ao Tanaka in the summer regardless of where Leeds do finish.