Ao Tanaka helps Leeds United fans forget about Ethan Ampadu after what ‘classy’ ace has done
Ao Tanaka has already helped Leeds United fans forget about Ethan Ampadu after the recent performances he’s put in for the Whites.
The midfielder was brought in during the summer transfer window and while he was initially expected to be a backup for both Ilia Gruev and Ampadu, since the two have found themselves sidelined, he seems to have cemented his role in Daniel Farke’s first team.
Leeds’ new midfield duo of Tanaka and Joe Rothwell is far more attacking than their original partnership of Gruev and Ampadu but it feels like something that’s worked in their favour.
More attacks are being started from the centre of the park and it feels like Farke’s wingers and full-backs have more options to progress forward.
The West Yorkshire outfit are currently third in the Championship and find themselves two points adrift of league leaders Sunderland which shows how dominant they’ve been over the other teams in the second-tier.
Many thought Farke’s team would be unbalanced without a more defensive-minded midfielder but in reality, it feels like the Japan international is making fans forget about their captain.
Why Ao Tanaka is making Leeds United fans forget about Ethan Ampadu
Farke’s usual 4-2-3-1 set-up is already fairly defensive but with Tanaka in the middle, things are flowing far better.
The 26-year-old has quickly become one of the most important players for the German this term and his impact on the team has been felt in more ways than one.
In fact, he even made it into this week’s Yorkshire Post’s Yorkshire Team of the Week (12 November) with Leon Wobschall dubbing the Japan international as “classy”.
It may have taken him a couple of games to fully get into the flow of things but now he’s had a few fixtures to understand the way Farke’s system works, everything is going swimmingly with former Leeds United man Ross McCormack even claiming the midfielder is “a level above” his teammates.
As long as Farke continues to start Tanaka, bright things will likely lie ahead for both parties.
In other Leeds news, the Whites may have found their long-term Crysencio Summerville successor in a “fantastic” academy gem.
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