Like many Leeds United fans, I felt such disappointment when Ao Tanaka produced arguably his worst performance for the Whites in last week’s draw with Brentford.
Daniel Farke‘s reluctance to put his faith in Ao Tanaka was a constant source of frustration for Leeds United fans during the early weeks of the campaign, particularly when Brenden Aaronson was the player to benefit.
Who was your MOTM in Leeds’ brilliant win over Crystal Palace? 🦚
Surely there is only one option…
Tanaka seemed to send a message to Farke with his brilliant strike in the win over Chelsea, as well as the stoppage time equaliser against Liverpool days later.
But Farke seemingly confirmed his pecking order by dropping Tanaka immediately after the draw at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brenden Aaronson proves a point with one of his best games for Leeds against Crystal Palace
It felt incredibly harsh on the Japanese international. Aaronson has largely struggled with the step up. And it was during the defeat to Aston Villa where the fans could not contain their frustration with the 25-year-old any longer.
Tanaka was not afforded anything like the same number of chances before he returned to the bench.
However, Aaronson vindicated Farke’s contentious decision to start him against Crystal Palace.
In fact, Aaronson produced one of his best displays in a Leeds shirt in the 4-1 victory at Elland Road.
Admittedly, the attacking midfielder did not contribute a goal or an assist. He will not attract the same plaudits as Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Ethan Ampadu, or Anton Stach.
However, he was exactly the type of player the tired Palace players did not want to face. He was tidy in possession – completing 19 of his 21 passes, according to Whoscored – while he worked tirelessly to ensure that the likes of Adam Wharton and Will Hughes had no space to work in.
It was fitting that Aaronson left the field to rapturous applause in the 77th minute. He had earned that ovation from the jubilant crowd.
Crystal Palace win shows how Leeds United’s new system could be a game-changer for Aaronson
Much has been made of Leeds switching to the 3-5-2 system in recent weeks. It has certainly made the team much less predictable, with Farke’s men able to switch things up.
It has helped a number of players. Calvert-Lewin is no longer being starved of service. And there is no question that the defensive line looks a lot stronger with Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk, and Jaka Bijol all playing and covering for each other.
But Saturday night showed how it could really benefit Aaronson too.
Aaronson does not now need to be a number 10 who creates a raft of chances for a sole striker. Noah Okafor has taken more of that responsibility since Lukas Nmecha was sidelined.
Meanwhile, Rodon has seamlessly transitioned into being a third centre-back that has the green light to fly forward. The Welshman was frequently seen playing like a right winger against the Eagles.
With Jayden Bogle also in that area of the field, Aaronson was able to remain more central. He was often getting involved in the play on the edge of the box after a cross had been cleared.
It is hardly a hot take to say that Aaronson has his limitations, particularly when the crucial moment comes to produce a piece of real quality. And there will almost certainly be times in the coming weeks where I will be watching on and calling for him to be dropped for Tanaka again.
But on a night when every Leeds player stepped up, Aaronson absolutely made sure that he was not left behind.
His challenge now is to be just as impressive in what promises to be an extremely tough game away at Sunderland after Christmas.
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