Facundo Buonanotte could play for Leeds vs Norwich City, stats reveal why he shouldn’t
Daniel Farke is willing to give Facundo Buonanotte a chance as Leeds United face Norwich City in the FA Cup on Sunday.
The German manager has revealed that the Argentina international is in contention to feature for the Whites at Elland Road in the fifth round of the cup competition on 8 March.
Since the 21-year-old’s move to the West Yorkshire outfit on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion in the winter transfer window, he’s put in some poor performances.
The attacking-midfielder has failed to make the Peacocks’ matchday squad for the last three Premier League games, and Farke would surely be justified in continuing to keep him out of the team.
Facundo Buonanotte FA Cup record for Leeds United not pretty
Buonanotte made his full debut for Leeds against Birmingham City at St Andrew’s in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
The Argentine playmaker was taken off at half-time after a bad display for the Whites in a game that went to penalties.
It wasn’t a vintage performance from the West Yorkshire outfit, but the former Chelsea loanee was arguably one of the worst players on the pitch.
Against Birmingham, the youngster had 30 touches of the ball, lost possession 10 times, recorded 79 per cent passing accuracy, failed to complete any of his three dribbles, lost seven of his nine duels and was dribbled past once, as per Sofascore.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on 6 March, Farke said, “It’s not easy when you’ve not played that much and especially once you’re young and you face a bit of criticism, it’s not like you press a button and all of a sudden you… You have to win your momentum and form back step by step.
“That’s what he’s trying to do. He gets all the support, all the help and all the recommendations from our side on what to do, on perhaps what to improve slightly in training. He has all the chances to press and shine and of course has a chance to be involved in the game.”
Daniel Farke given every reason not to trust Facundo Buonanotte vs Norwich City
In the Premier League for Chelsea and Leeds this season, Buonanotte has made three appearances, with an average Sofascore rating of 6.4, which highlights his lack of impact.
The Argentina international played the final 10 minutes of the Whites’ 1-1 draw with Everton, managing five touches, losing the ball once, losing his only attempted ground duel and getting dribbled past once.
Buonanotte also replaced Brenden Aaronson for the final 19 minutes as the West Yorkshire outfit lost 4-0 against Arsenal, registering a 40 per cent passing accuracy, losing possession six times, failing to complete his one dribble attempt and losing all three of his ground duels.
Farke shouldn’t play the attacking-midfielder given his record in recent matches if the German manager wants to have the best chance of qualifying for the FA Cup quarter-final.
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