Leeds United are in a difficult position heading into the weekend as they are in the bottom three and heading to play Manchester City at The Etihad this afternoon.
The Whites have lost their last three matches in the Premier League, losing to Brighton, Nottingham Forest, and Aston Villa, and now face a run of games against City, Chelsea, and Liverpool.
On top of the daunting fixture list, Daniel Farke also has several new injury issues to contend with before they kick off against Pep Guardiola’s side today.
The latest Leeds injury news
Anton Stach will not be in the squad because he has been unable to train this week through concussion protocols, after the German midfielder was taken off in the first against Aston Villa last weekend with a head injury.
The £17.4m summer signing from Hoffenheim will resume training on Sunday before coming into contention for the Chelsea match, and Ao Tanaka could start in his place this afternoon.
Reserve defender Sebastiaan Bornauw, who joined from Wolfsburg in the summer, is going to be a late call on whether or not he can make the bench today, per Farke.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Unfortunately, the German head coach also revealed that central midfielder Sean Longstaff suffered a calf injury and is due to be out of action for between four and six weeks, in a major blow for the Whites.
The summer signing from Newcastle has started ten of his 12 Premier League appearances for the club, creating six ‘big chances’, per Sofascore, and Farke will need to find a way to replace him this afternoon and for the weeks to come.
Instead of bringing Ilia Gruev, who is more of a deep-lying number six, into the side, Farke should unleash Brenden Aaronson in a new role to ease the Longstaff injury blow.
The new role that Brenden Aaronson should play in
Earlier this month, Farke said that the USA international “polarises and can be annoying” and then added that he “works his socks off, gives everything, relentless and leaves his heart on the pitch” in defence of the attacking midfielder.
Because of that work rate, it would be interesting to see how he would fare in Longstaff’s position as one of the two number eights ahead of Ethan Ampadu.
Aaronson, of course, was the main number ten for Farke in his 4-2-3-1 system last season before being moved to the right wing in the current 4-3-3 shape, which means that he is used to playing centrally under the German boss.
The 25-year-old star, who has scored one goal in the Premier League this season, has the creative qualities to soften the blow of losing Longstaff, who has created the most ‘big chances’ in the team, albeit as the main set-piece taker.
Goals
1
3rd
Shots per game
1.4
3rd
Key passes per game
0.9
3rd
Big chances created
3
2nd
xA
1.49
1st
Possession lost per game
8.4
8th
As you can see in the table above, Aaronson has been one of the most creative players in the team in the top-flight this season, without being one of the most wasteful in possession.
This, along with Farke’s comments on his work rate, suggests that the American midfielder could be the ideal player to fill in for Longstaff in the next few weeks, because the Whites would still have a hard-working and creative player in that role.
On top of that, moving Aaronson away from the right wing position would allow the manager to unleash Dan James on the right, and his pace in behind could be particularly useful in these next three games against superior opposition who will be expected to dominate the ball.
New Daniel Farke sack update now shared from Leeds before Man City
The Whites are in choppy waters at Elland Road and Daniel Farke is under the spotlight.
BySean Markus Clifford
Therefore, playing the USA international in this new role could be an excellent way to respond to Longstaff’s injury, which is why Farke should consider it this afternoon.
