Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke became the first manager since Billy Bremner in 1987 to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup last weekend.
A win over West Ham United on penalties has teed up the Whites for a Wembley clash with Chelsea, before a potential final against Manchester City or Southampton.
The German manager has the club four points ahead of the relegation zone with seven matches left to play in the Premier League, and in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, after achieving 100 points in the Championship last term.
daniel-farke-leeds
Farke has done a remarkable job at Elland Road and deserves huge credit for his achievements, but there is still work to be done to avoid relegation from the top-flight.
The club's hopes of avoiding the drop also may have taken a hit in recent days after Anton Stach went off with an injury in the FA Cup clash with West Ham.
What's been said about Anton Stach's injury
After 38 minutes, the Germany international was withdrawn from the game with an ankle injury and had to watch on from the sidelines as his teammates eventually won the game on penalties.
After the match, Farke said: “Anton should have been rewarded with a penalty, hit against his ankle, probably a ligament injury.
Anton-Stach
“We have to assess how bad it is. I hope it's not too bad, he was running the game, it was a major set-back to lose him. He's a key player for us and I hope it's not too bad."
Leeds are now awaiting scans to determine the severity of the injury and how long he will be out of action for, in what could be a big blow to the team because he has scored four goals and provided three assists in the Premier League.
Farke, however, could ease the blow of possibly losing Stach for a run of games by unleashing his own Mateusz Klich and Pablo Hernandez hybrid in midfield.
Leeds have unearthed a Klich and Hernandez hybrid
Leeds played a 3-4-1-2 in their last Premier League game against Brentford, with Stach and Ethan Ampadu in midfield, and they have a dream partner for the captain ready to come straight into the side.
Anton-Stach
Central midfielder Ao Tanaka was given a rare start in the middle of the park in the win over the Hammers in the FA Cup, but his last start in the Premier League came in December against Sunderland.
Prior to the clash with West Ham, Football FanCast suggested that the Japan international could be Farke's own Klich, a goalscoring midfielder, if unleashed on Saturday, and he went on to be exactly that.
Tanaka, though, looked more like Pablo Hernandez than Klich in the way that he twisted the Hammers defence to create space and score under pressure inside the box.
The Spanish forward regularly produced moments of magic throughout his time with the West Yorkshire outfit, using his exceptional technical qualities to create goals out of nothing.
It was a moment of pure wizardry from the Japanese star against West Ham and a goal that Hernandez would have been proud to add to his collection of 36 goals for the club.
Vs West Ham Ao Tanaka
Minutes 69
Goals 1
Pass accuracy 91%
Ground duels won 5/8
Tackles won 3/4
Interceptions 2
Ball recoveries 5
Tanaka's work out of possession was a step up from what he has shown against other Premier League teams this season, as he has only won 43% of his ground duels in the league so far.
If he can deliver performances like that in the top-flight in the last few matches of the season, Stach's injury will not be as big of a blow as it feels right now.
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The midfield magician has only started seven games in the league so far this term, but he was an integral member of Farke's 100-point team in the Championship in the 2024/25 campaign.
Tanaka showcased his quality in and out of possession in that season, scoring five goals and providing two assists, whilst also winning 53% of his ground duels and 64% of his aerial battles.
If the Japan international can start to showcase that level of technical and physical quality in the Premier League, as he did against a top-flight team in West Ham on Saturday, Stach's injury should not have too much of an impact on the end to the season.
Farke looks like he has finally unearthed a Klich and Pablo Hernandez hybrid in Tanaka, who can offer goals and technical wizardry in the middle of the park, and it is now time to give him a run of games in the league to prove himself.
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