Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has told one of his key players to “step up” ahead of the Premier League encounter against West Ham United at Elland Road this Friday.
Leeds gearing up for potential early six-pointer against West Ham
Although we are still in the very early stages of the season, Leeds’ home match against West Ham this Friday could have big ramifications at the end of the campaign, given that both sides are looking like they could be involved in a relegation battle.
The Hammers have already dismissed Graham Potter, who was replaced by Nuno at the end of September, but the former Nottingham Forest boss has been unable to make an immediate impact, with Jamie Carragher not impressed by recent performances.
Farke’s side, on the other hand, were always going to find it tough to avoid the drop as a newly-promoted team, but still remain three points clear of the relegation zone, having picked up wins against Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The manager made a number of new additions to his squad in the summer, in order to boost their survival chances, and Anton Stach has started all eight of the Whites’ Premier League fixtures up to this point.
However, the Leeds boss has now warned Stach he needs to improve, despite playing through injury, given that his performances have gone downhill in recent weeks.
Farke said: “They weren’t poor performances but not on the top level as before. It’ll be good for him to get rid of these problems with his finger and ribs.
“Hopefully then he’ll keep going with delivering top performances. This week having a bit of time to recover was good for him, hopefully he can step up.”
Stach must improve against West Ham on Friday night
The German has shown his class at times this season, most notably putting in a fantastic performance in the 3-1 victory against a struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers side last month, chipping in with a stunning free-kick goal and an assist.
However, as pointed out by the Leeds manager, recent performances have not been at the same level, with the 26-year-old struggling to make an impact against Burnley last time out, losing three of the five duels he contested before being replaced by Joel Piroe.
It has recently become clear that Farke is looking to sign a new midfielder in the January transfer window, with talks being opened over a deal for Maccabi Tel Aviv star Issouf Sissokho, while there have been widespread links to Inter Milan’s Piotr Zielinski.
As such, in order to keep his place in the side, Stach will need to rediscover his best form soon, hopefully starting Friday against West Ham at Elland Road.
