Daniel Farke makes admission over where Ethan Ampadu can improve at Leeds United
Daniel Farke admitted Leeds United ace Ethan Ampadu can be a bit more “precise and tidy” with his forward passes.
The Wales midfielder has been a mainstay in the Leeds starting XI since Farke signed him from Chelsea in the summer.
But, following the 1-0 defeat to Sunderland on Tuesday (12 December), the German conceded there are things Ampadu can improve on going forward.
“Yes, sometimes his forward passing could be a bit more precise and tidy in the recent games, but even if he doesn’t have his best days he is still there with a seven out of 10. This is also what we need in the middle of the park,” he said in quotes reported by Leeds Live (16 December).
“You can’t always expect he organises everything in the defence and wins many duels and wins many headers and shows leadership in this moment. He’s always there with great assists like the other day for Georginio’s fantastic goal.
“He has the capability to show this. Yes, in the recent games, he could have done, perhaps, in these terms, the forward passes a little bit better, but it’s also quite normal over the course of the season. Yes, sometimes it’s not a spotlight game, but he’s still always there with solid and reliable performances. I am more than happy we have him.”
Always room to improve
Ampadu has been an excellent addition to the Leeds midfield there is absolutely no doubt about that and the supporters really admire his workrate and ability to build attacks from deeper positions.
It also means that while he is doing the dirty work, the nitty-gritty stuff in the centre of the park, that the team’s more creative players are able to flourish further up the pitch – even if things did not quite click against Sunderland.
But there are always areas to improve, and Farke was quite clever to mix constructive criticism with praise for his all-round consistency. Ampadu is a vital cog in the Leeds team, so he needs to be the one getting Leeds moving forward quickly.
There is no real hint here that Ampadu’s place is under threat, and nor should there be, but it is a timely reminder of the need to always be looking at what you can be doing better. Ampadu seems the kind of character to acknowledge it and act on it.
In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay shared if Farke will remain as manager if the team’s promotion bid fails.