The return to club football was a successful one for Leeds United over the weekend, with manager Daniel Farke securing new history for the Whites against West Ham United.
The German led his side to a penalty shootout victory over their Premier League relegation rivals, subsequently securing the club a place in the FA Cup semi-finals.
No Leeds manager has been able to achieve such a feat since the great Billy Bremner back in 1987, with a clash with Chelsea at Wembley the reward for their efforts.
However, the meeting at the London Stadium wasn’t plain sailing for Farke’s men, especially after blowing a two-goal lead going into 11 minutes of stoppage time.
That won’t be the biggest concern, given the shootout win, with one other incident from the clash no doubt a bigger concern for the manager at present.
The latest of Anton Stach’s ankle injury
Starting a near full-strength side in a cup game is always a risk to any manager, especially considering the current relegation battle that’s ongoing in the Premier League.
However, Farke decided to utilise a strong side against the Hammers on Sunday afternoon, with German international Anton Stach starting at the heart of the midfield.
The 27-year-old would only last 38 minutes before being withdrawn with an ankle injury, after Max Kilman’s desperate lunge saw the midfielder land awkwardly.
Such a tackle somehow wasn’t punished by the match officials or VAR, with the opposition defender lucky to avoid punishment for such a reckless challenge.
Stach took to social media after the victory to show the extent of his injury, with the German’s ankle badly swollen and presenting a sore sight for the supporters.
Whilst the extent of the injury is yet to be revealed, it’s likely he will miss a couple of weeks of action, which would see Farke need to consider other options to replace the 27-year-old.
How Leeds can solve Stach injury blow
Stach has often operated in a deep-lying or number ten role since moving to Leeds in the summer, with former star Georginio Rutter also possessing such versatility.
The Frenchman, who cost a record £35m in January 2023, could operate as a new number nine or in the ten, but was unable to keep the Whites in the Premier League.
However, he did remain at Elland Road after relegation, with such a decision proving to be a blessing in disguise for his career – as seen by his remarkable stats.
The 23-year-old would register 22 combined goals and assists during his only season in the second tier, helping the Whites reaching the play-off final at Wembley.
As he was unable to secure promotion, he would depart in a deal worth a reported £40m to join Brighton in the summer of 2024 – yielding a £5m profit on their investment.
Whilst he’s no longer on the books, Farke could look to soften Stach’s injury blow by handing fellow midfielder Ao Tanaka a run of starts in the Premier League.
The Japanese international joined the club for £3m in the summer of 2024, subsequently being a key member of the promotion-winning squad last term.
However, like Rutter at Leeds, he’s struggled to meet the demands of top-flight football, as seen by his tally of just seven league starts under Farke throughout 2025/26.
Despite his struggles, the 27-year-old was handed a start in the FA Cup clash with West Ham over the weekend, with Tanaka taking the opportunity with both hands.
He netted the opening goal of the encounter after 26 minutes, his second goal of the competition, which gave Farke’s men the perfect start to the clash at the London Stadium.
Tanaka’s underlying stats also highlight his impact on proceedings, with the Japanese international having all the tools to provide an immediate replacement for the injured Stach.
He managed to complete 91% of the passes he attempted in the capital, whilst making 11 passes into the final third – subsequently creating one chance.
Such numbers demonstrate his ability to dictate the play from a deep-lying role, something which the German has done after his summer move from Hoffenheim.
|
Ao Tanaka – stats against West Ham |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistics |
Tally |
|
Minutes played |
69 |
|
Touches |
60 |
|
Pass accuracy |
91% |
|
Passes into final third |
11 |
|
Goals scored |
1 |
|
Chances created |
1 |
|
Tackles made |
4 |
|
Interceptions |
2 |
Without the ball, Tanaka was just as impressive, as seen by his phenomenal tallies of four tackles and five ball recoveries made, whilst also winning five ground duels.
There’s no denying the midfielder produced his best performances in the Championship, but he still has bags of talent to be a key member during the closing stages of the season.
Tanaka’s quality in and out of possession often goes under the radar in Yorkshire, with Farke already having the perfect replacement for Stach should his injury be worse than first feared.
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