Ao Tanaka was again exemplary in Leeds United’s hammering 4-0 win over Oxford United at Elland Road on Saturday. He again started in the middle of the park alongside Joe Rothwell and was brilliant as the Whites romped to another home win this season. His performances have only been improving over the last few weeks and he is probably the best midfielder in the Championship at the moment.
Leeds signed Tanaka from Fortuna Dusseldorf towards the end of the last summer transfer window and it took a while for him to adapt to the style of play at Elland Road.
However, once he got into the starting eleven he never looked back. The Japanese midfielder has formed a solid partnership with Rothwell, which has not let Leeds feel the pinch of Ilia Gruev’s injury earlier in the season.
Arguments have been made to push Tanaka into the number 10 role to accommodate Leeds captain Ethan Ampadu in midfield. Still, Daniel Farke has so far resisted rejigging his midfield while the team are playing well.
Tanaka’s continued excellence in the middle of the park has led to claims that he could be the best midfielder, or even the best player in the Championship at this stage of the season.
A look into his underlying numbers this season, it would not be wrong to suggest that the Japan international could be in line for that moniker this season.
Ao Tanaka has been elite in the middle this season for Leeds United
His arrival coincided with a tumultuous end to the summer transfer window and there were question marks over his quality when he initially joined.
Ao Tanaka had no prior experience of playing in England and there were worries whether he could be too lightweight to play in midfield in a gruelling league such as the Championship.
All those doubts have withered away in the last few months as Tanaka has looked like one of the most equipped midfielders in the Championship this season.
The Japanese midfielder completes almost 92 percent of all his passes and Middlesbrough’s Aidan Morris the only other midfield man in the top five of this specific metric in the Championship this season.
He rarely gets overwhelmed and dispossessed in midfield and his ability to keep and circulate the ball with ease in the middle of the park allows Leeds the control they crave.
Tanaka’s presence in midfield is a reason why Leeds control and dominate proceedings from the middle of the park, which provides the base for the attackers to flourish up front.
The midfielder also manages to win more than half of the aerial duels he gets involved in, which answers the question marks over his physique when he joined Leeds in the summer.
The Japan international will be of massive importance in the coming weeks
Tanaka’s performances are one of the key reasons why Leeds consistently manage to control games even when they struggle to create or score much sometimes away from home.
He reads the game well from midfield and is quick to block passing lanes that allow Leeds to win back the ball whenever they lose it in transition.
Whether Farke will push Tanaka to the number 10 role to bring Ampadu into the team is something we can’t say but there is a certainty, the Leeds boss is not likely to drop him any time soon.
Three of Leeds’ next four games are on the road and they will need the Japan international’s presence in the middle to control the games and push towards improving their form on the road.
Tanaka has more or less become the most consistent midfielder in the Championship and is as close to undroppable to Farke as possible. Leeds will hope that he remains fit and firing for the rest of the season to push the team towards promotion this season.
