Daniel Farke given Ao Tanaka headache after Leeds United win vs Birmingham City
Ao Tanaka got his first start in over a month as Leeds United beat Birmingham City in the FA Cup on Sunday.
Daniel Farke’s team travelled to St Andrew’s on 15 February in the fourth round of the competition, with the game going to penalties.
Lukas Nmecha broke the deadlock for the visitors right after the break, but a late equaliser from Patrick Roberts meant that the Blues forced the game into extra time.
It was rather easy for the West Yorkshire outfit in the shootout, as Sean Longstaff ensured victory after Tommy Doyle and Roberts missed from the spot.
Ao Tanaka underwhelming in return to Leeds United team at St Andrew’s
Tanaka must’ve been eager to showcase his qualities to Farke after failing to come off the bench in the last three Premier League matches.
The Japan international established himself as one of the fan favourites at Elland Road after winning the Championship title, but he’s found regular game time hard to come by this season.
There have been moments in the current campaign where the 27-year-old’s infectious energy has been influential for the Whites as they look to avoid Premier League relegation.
However, Tanaka may lack the quality needed in the final third to make a real impact, and his defensive contribution was also a bit underwhelming against Birmingham, as shown in the Sofascore graphic below.
Ethan Ampadu’s arrival after the break showed just what the West Yorkshire outfit were missing in the middle of the park, and the Japanese midfielder lasted 78 minutes on the pitch before being replaced by Joel Piroe.
Farke surely has a headache about how best to utilise Tanaka’s strength, but until then, he may have to make the difficult decision to keep the former Fortuna Dusseldorf player out of the team.
Elland Road hierarchy to have questions after what 49ers Enterprises do
Facundo Buonanotte feels like a waste of investment at Elland Road after another poor showing since moving on loan to LS11 in January.
The Argentine playmaker was the only addition to the Leeds squad in the winter transfer window, but his initial displays haven’t been encouraging.
Buonanotte was handed his full debut at St Andrew’s, but was rather unsurprisingly hooked off at half-time.
While the 21-year-old arguably needs to be given time before any assessment is made, supporters are already calling into question the recruitment strategy of 49ers Enterprises, tasked with backing Farke in January to help survive the drop.
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