Leeds United were frustrated to surrender yet more points from a winning position at Everton on Monday night, although the 1-1 draw still represented a solid result on the road.
Leeds could have put the game beyond doubt had Dominic Calvert-Lewin been more ruthless in front of goal, with chances missed before Everton found a second-half equaliser to avoid another home defeat.
James Justin was the standout performer once again, delivering an impressive display capped by a first-half goal, his first in the Premier League this season.
However, Farke indicated that Leeds could have done better to avoid conceding the goal and picked out Ao Tanaka’s role in Everton scoring the equaliser.
Daniel Farke takes a dig at Leeds United star Ao Tanaka
Ao Tanaka was again on the bench for Leeds and came on after the hour mark to freshen up the midfield for the remainder of the game.
Farke insisted that he is disappointed that Leeds didn’t win despite being pleased with the performance. He still stressed that they could have done better to stop Everton from scoring.
He indicated that Tanaka should have done better to stop the cross coming into the box that led to the Everton equaliser.
Farke said on Sky Sports: “Yes, it was a good result, a promoted side, to come away from Everton, it’s a tough place, especially when they are on it like in the second half, it’s definitely a good result.
“Yes, a bit disappointed because we’re also not far away from winning it, I think in the first half, excellent performance, very dominant, didn’t allow chances for them, should’ve scored the second goal, perhaps could have buried the game in the first half.
“I think they had more possession in the second half, but my gut feeling was that we still controlled the game against the ball; we didn’t allow much. Karl Darlow made one good save before the goal, and I think one shot against the crossbar after the goal, but apart from this, it was just the goal.
“One situation perhaps we could have invested a bit more to avoid the cross in, and of course Barry was one step quicker than my centre back, and it was avoidable, but overall, good performance from my lads and a good point also for us.”
Tanaka is struggling for rhythm at Leeds this season
Tanaka was the Championship’s best midfielder last season and probably the best pound-for-pound signing. However, things have changed in the Premier League.
He has not started a league game since the 1-1 draw against Sunderland towards the end of December. He has firmly become a bench option this season.
| Premier League – Season Totals | |
|---|---|
| Matches Played | 20 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Minutes Played | 743 |
The midfielder’s lack of regular starts has clearly affected his game, and he is struggling for rhythm. Farke’s criticism is not going to help matters.
He has settled on his starting midfield, and it appears Tanaka no longer appears in the starting eleven when he has all the players available.
However, the Leeds boss must be more careful about publicly picking out moments to criticise, as it could further affect the midfielder’s confidence.
