Ao Tanaka surely fuming at Daniel Farke after embarrassing Leeds United moment vs Aston Villa
Leeds United midfielder Ao Tanaka will feel annoyed at a decision Daniel Farke made during their clash against Aston Villa.
In their first match after the international break, the Whites were looking to bounce back from their recent slump in form.
Leeds were beaten 3-1 by Nottingham Forest last time out as Daniel Farke was placed under further pressure, with his job at Elland Road hanging in the balance.
Their attempts to get back to winning ways got off to a brilliant start when Lukas Nmecha put Leeds ahead in the eighth minute against Aston Villa, although the visitors produced a second-half fightback.
Daniel Farke embarrasses Ao Tanaka vs Aston Villa
Leeds put Villa under immense pressure in the opening exchanges as their incredible pressure and intensity were rewarded with a goal.
But once Unai Emery made some changes at half-time, including substituting Emi Buendia for Donyell Malen, the visitors turned the game on it’s head.
A superb Morgan Rogers brace took the game away from Leeds and handed them their fifth defeat in six matches.
In the meantime, Farke also embarrassed midfielder Ao Tanaka by bringing him off the pitch despite substituting him on for the injured Anton Stach in the 23rd minute.
Tanaka was replaced by Dan James in the 71st minute as Leeds went in search of a goal, and the Japan international will surely have felt annoyed at his manager.
Tanaka’s stats vs Aston Villa
It’s never easy for any player to accept being substituted after starting the game on the bench, and the man they signed for around £3million in 2024 will have to admit that embarrassment.
Normally, the 27-year-old plays a lot of football during the international break, although Tanaka was an unused sub for Japan’s 3-0 win over Bolivia on November 18.
That meant the midfielder was well rested ahead of this showdown at Elland Road and he provided an injection of energy and tenacity to Farke’s midfield.
| Ao Tanaka stats vs Aston Villa |
| 48 minutes played |
| 29/30 accurate passes (97%) |
| 2 fouls drawn |
| 1 successful dribble |
| 5 recoveries |
| 6/11 ground duels won |
Tanaka only misplaced one pass during his 48 minutes on the pitch, while drawing two fouls and making five ball recoveries, demonstrating why he deserves to start against Manchester City.
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