Ao Tanaka was once again outstanding for Leeds United in their comfortable 3-0 win over Luton Town at Elland Road.
The Whites made returning to the top of the Championship look easy as goals from Sam Byram, Joel Piroe and Dan James set them on their way to another three points.
With 76 per cent possession for Leeds, it was another match where Tanaka saw plenty of the ball as both he and Rothwell completely ran the game.
Tanaka completed 114 of his 120 attempted passes and won five of his seven ground duels, with his performance a key part of why Leeds were able to sustain pressure against the away side.
Luton boss Rob Edwards admitted Leeds were too good for his side and it is crazy to think they were a Premier League team just last season, while Tanaka was playing in Germany’s second tier.
Farke on Tanaka behind-the-scenes at Leeds
Speaking after last month’s win over Watford, Farke revealed Tanaka’s James Bond-like nickname he had been given by his teammates.
Clearly Tanaka is already a popular part of the dressing room and Wilfried Gnonto even called him the ‘best player in the world‘ after Sunday’s win at Swansea City.
And although his English isn’t particularly strong just yet, Farke told his post-match press conference on Wednesday night that he has noticed what a ‘very funny’ person Tanaka is despite pretending he is ‘not capable of talking’.
He said: “He is technically so outstanding he has to fix the watches of the referees. Tiger Tanaka can do everything. He is an unbelievable signing so far. Quality with and without the ball is outstanding. Not played in a top league yet.
“Delivers like this in a shirt so heavy is outstanding. Character is relaxed and laid back. He is happy to have his peace and pretends he is not capable of talking. He does not realise I am listening to him with his team-mates and he is very funny.
“Really cool guy. The best judgement is when you see the team-mates and they have so much fun with him and celebrate with him.”
Tanaka stats in Leeds win over Luton
It is difficult to keep finding new ways to describe Tanaka’s performances as they just seem to be consistent 8/10s every single week.
And last night’s game against Luton was certainly no different as he completely dominated yet another opposition midfield.
| Stat | Tanaka |
| Touches | 135 |
| Acc. passes | 114/120 (95%) |
| Long balls (acc.) | 7 (5) |
| Ground duels (won) | 7 (5) |
| Interceptions | 2 |
| Tackles | 3 |
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