Daniel Farke is already losing the Leeds fans and cannot afford to lose the dressing room either.
Supporters chanted against Farke with cries of “you don’t know what you’re doing” after the 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa, also bellowing “make a sub” during the game as the German once again failed to show much tactical proactivity, while Unai Emery succeeded by doing exactly that.
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Daniel Farke therefore needs to ensure his players are still in his corner and backing him, but Ao Tanaka probably lost some faith on Sunday after what he openly revealed in September and October.
Ao Tanaka doubted himself and said he gets nervous – Daniel Farke risks making that worse with humiliating substitution
Farke subbed Tanaka on and off again during the clash against Aston Villa, having been told by the Fourth Official that the Japan international was one foul away from a second yellow card.
While the 49-year-old was understandably cautious about a dismissal, it showed he had little faith in his No.22 to see out the game professionally, which is sure to make him feel even worse after wearing his heart on his sleeve twice in recent months.
Back in September, Tanaka admitted he gets nervous – and even revealed he didn’t want to play as Leeds chased promotion last season.
He said: “The last two months were really tough. Every week, I played while thinking that I didn’t want to play (and) if I played, there was a chance that we would lose points… I was so nervous.”
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Tanaka then expressed doubts over his ability to perform in the Premier League back in October, saying: “The Premier League is the best league in the world and every game is such a difficult game. The opponents are so good, but this is what I want. I’m not good enough at the moment but I enjoy this time to find what I need to do as a football player so I will try everything.”
So, the fact his manager didn’t trust him to avoid a yellow card for the final 20 minutes against Aston Villa will surely reinforce these doubts Tanaka has about himself – it was not a great show of man management, to say the least.
Ao Tanaka treatment contradicts what Daniel Farke said about Brenden Aaronson
Farke alluded to mental health when defending Brenden Aaronson from fan backlash, saying: “The criticism he’s got is not fair. Players don’t like it. We are working with human beings. Let’s not treat him like he’s a product. We have to treat him in a fair way.”
Brenden Aaronson’s stats for Leeds in defeat to Villa
- 80 mins played, 6.4 FotMob rating (third-worst of Leeds’ starting players)
- XG+XA: 0.34, seven defensive contributions
- 1/3 shots on target, 1/5 successful dribbles
- 38 touches, 17/20 successful passes
- Two tackles, five recoveries
- Five duels won, eight lost
While that is all well and good, the Leeds boss cannot adopt one rule for the American and a different rule for his other players.
Tanaka deserved the chance to show he could stay out of trouble for the remaining 20 minutes against Aston Villa, and the fact Farke showed no faith in that happening whatsoever is sure to put a dent in his already-fragile confidence.
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