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What makes Ao Tanaka undroppable for Leeds United – stats

Leeds United’s Ao Tanaka has been the standout midfielder in the Championship since he broke into the starting eleven in October and has probably been their player of the season. He joined the Whites from Fortuna Dusseldorf last season and has been one of the signings of the campaign in the second-tier of English football. There is a feeling that Leeds need to get promoted to the Premier League this season if they want to hold on to Tanaka as several top sides are already keeping an eye on him. Despite the competition for places in the Leeds midfield, the Japan international has more or less become undroppable for Daniel Farke this season. He has looked comfortable with both Joe Rothwell and Ilia Gruev in the Leeds midfield and is one of the first names on the team sheet at Elland Road.

Last month, it seemed that Ethan Ampadu’s return from injury could force Ao Tanaka out of the starting eleven, but the Japan star has held on to his place, and for good reason.

He has been the best midfielder in the Championship this season and the Leeds recruitment team deserve immense credit for identifying and signing him in the previous summer transfer window.

Tanaka is a natural box-to-box midfielder, but he has brilliantly adapted his game this season to become a more defensive presence without sacrificing his instincts to go forward.

He is a sleek passer of the ball, and his passing ability shows that he deserves to showcase his talent on a bigger platform than the Championship. Leeds are keen to ensure that he does so in their colours in the Premier League next season.

Ao Tanaka and his passing in the opposition half separates him from other Leeds midfielders

Tanaka is the most progressive of the midfielders Leeds have in their squad and his passing in the final third is better than their designated number 10, Brenden Aaronson.

The Japan midfielder is a tireless worker and his presence in the engine room of the Leeds side has made them such a formidable team in the Championship this season.

In a turgid game between Burnley and Leeds on Monday night, which ended in a 0-0 draw, Tanaka was still the best midfielder on show and played the most number of passes of all the Whites midfield men.

Apart from Daniel James, he was one of the very few Leeds players who shone in a boring draw at Turf Moor this week.

Even in a game where Leeds were pragmatic, he remained a forward-thinking midfielder and a large number of his passes were still played in the opposition half.

If we look at his performances since the start of the season, he remains the most accurate of passers in the Leeds midfielder, especially in the opposition half.

Tanaka completes 88 percent of his passes in the opposition half, which is more than any other midfielder’s passing accuracy in the Leeds squad this season.

His midfield partners Ilia Gruev and Joe Rothwell only complete 80 and 81 percent of their passes in the opposition half, which is nowhere near Tanaka’s accuracy.

More importantly, the Japan international’s passing accuracy is far better than Aaronson’s numbers. The American has only completed 78 percent of his passes in the opposition half.

He is a tireless runner and covers every blade of grass for Leeds

Tanaka’s industry in the middle of the park endears him to the fans as well as the Leeds manager Farke who loves the way the midfielder works hard on the pitch.

A central midfielder by trade, the Japan international covers almost every blade of grass for the Whites during a game and has shown unbelievable fitness levels.

A look at his heat map for this season would show how hard the midfielder works and the way he pops up in different areas of the pitch to make himself available for a pass.

He has been the best midfielder at Leeds and in the Championship and has been a big reason why the Whites are sitting at the summit of the Championship table.

His fitness levels mean he has hardly missed a game this season for Leeds and Farke hopes that it continues as the Whites will need him dictating play in midfield until the end of the season to get promoted to the Premier League.

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