Anton Stach already fighting uphill battle at Leeds as incredible Ao Tanaka stat revealed
Daniel Farke’s Leeds have taken huge strides in the direction of Premier League survival.
Leeds were tipped for relegation before the Premier League season started, but after the Whites beat West Ham 2-1 on Friday, returning to the Championship seems to be steadily slipping away as a worry.
Farke has to be praised for the start Leeds have had to the season, as after game week nine of the Premier League concluded, the Whites are sitting in 15th, level on points with Everton at 11.
The German head coach made big calls ahead of the clash with the Hammers on Friday, as Anton Stach was dropped from the starting line-up for the first time in place of Ao Tanaka.
Following the result, Tanaka has now extended a simply ridiculous record that he holds at Elland Road, which unfortunately does not work in Stach’s favour.
Leeds have never lost when Ao Tanaka starts at Elland Road
Up until the game against West Ham, Stach had started all eight of Leeds‘ previous Premier League games.
Stach’s best performance came against Wolves, when the German midfielder grabbed an assist and a goal in a massive away victory against a relegation rival.
Since then, Stach’s performances have slowly regressed, as Tanaka has proved the beneficiary.
| Games | Wins | Draws | Losses |
| 20 | 18 | 2 | 0 |
Tanaka had been out with an injury earlier in the season, which allowed Stach to see some valuable minutes to adjust to life in England’s top flight.
However, Tanaka and Stach are the two options that Farke has to decide to play in front of Ethan Ampadu in midfield, as Sean Longstaff seems irreplaceable at the moment.
With Tanaka now extending his incredible Elland Road record to 20 games without losing when he starts, it’s clear that the Japanese midfielder is the correct option for Farke to use for future games.
It also hands Stach the chance to fully recover from his broken finger and rib issues.
Why does Tanaka play so well at Elland Road?
Elland Road is one of the most intimidating atmospheres that Premier League sides will face this season.
This has already proved the case for most sides that have visited LS11, as Tottenham have been the only team to narrowly overcome the task of Elland Road.
Tanaka’s work rate is perfectly suited for what Leeds fans want to see at Elland Road, as he covers almost every blade of grass for the Whites and does not shy away from a tackle.
Leeds are already establishing Elland Road as their main weapon for Premier League survival this campaign, as Tanaka has proved why he needs to start, with Stach the unfortunate casualty.
With away games at Brighton and Nottingham Forest next, Tanaka will want to share some of the record on the road for Leeds.
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