Leeds United would have traveled to Molineux on Saturday hoping to kick Vitor Pereira’s Wolverhampton Wanderers when they’re down.
After all, the hosts had lost every Premier League game they had competed in before Daniel Farke’s men came to town. That misery continued against the Whites, as the often goal-shy visitors managed to collect a convincing 3-1 win on their travels.
Both Noah Okafor and Dominic Calvert-Lewin would break their ducks in the forward areas, with Calvert-Lewin’s bullet header proving to be vital in turning around a contest that saw Wolves take an early lead.
On top of both the Swiss international and the ex-Everton marksman combining to devastating effect, the midfield ranks also stood out throughout, with Farke now hopeful he has Leeds’ next Kalvin Phillips at his disposal, having had a whole host of midfield talents come and go during his up-and-down stint in the Elland Road dug-out.
Leeds' best midfielders since Phillips left
Farke would never have the privilege of working alongside the beloved former Whites midfielder, with the Yorkshire-born favourite already deep into his poor playing days at Manchester City when the German took on the managerial reins.
Still, since taking on the esteemed job post, Farke has come face-to-face with some top talents in the middle of the park, with Archie Gray shining on occasion centrally under the ex-Norwich City manager’s wing, when he wasn’t being drafted into the lineup as a makeshift full-back.
Unfortunately, while Gray, who mainly played at right-back, was solid and composed, he just didn’t offer the same goal and assist threat as Phillips before him, with Glen Kamara, the same season the 19-year-old had his breakthrough moment, also providing a steady, if unflashy, presence in the midfield department.
As per Opta, Kamara would average a stunning 93.4% pass accuracy across the full second-tier season, but again, the goals and assists weren’t there.
Thankfully, new recruit last season in Ao Tanaka managed to combine both goals and calm play on the ball to be an instant success story, with Farke even going as far as to laud the Japanese international as “unbelievable” for what he can provide.
Yet, Leeds might well have an even brighter talent now that rivals Tanaka’s burst onto the scene, with Farke possessing the next coming of Phillips subsequently.
The Leeds player who is the new Kalvin Phillips
While Phillips did routinely compete in the second tier during his celebrated Leeds stay, the former England international really did make a name for himself at his boyhood club at the very top of the English game.
Therefore, a second coming of Phillips will also have to look assured and lively in the Premier League, with Anton Stach definitely passing that test against Wolves last time out.
Indeed, with the game finely poised at 1-1 after Calvert-Lewin’s equaliser, Stach would hammer home this outrageous free-kick to hand Farke and Co. the slim 2-1 lead.
Amazingly, that effort, sailing past Jose Sa, was the first time a Leeds player had scored their first-ever Premier League goal via a direct free kick since Phillips pulled off the ridiculous same feat back in 2021.
Games played
5
29
Goals scored
1
1
Assists
1
2
Touches*
56.0
65.0
Accurate passes*
29.6 (77%)
41.0 (85%)
Tackles*
2.0
2.6
Clearances*
2.6
1.7
Total duels won*
5.8
5.3
The table above further suggests that Stach has even more common in his overall play with that of the 29-year-old during his peak years at Elland Road, away from just comparing audacious free-kick goals.
Overall, Stach is a tenacious and tireless midfield talent, away from firing home sweet strikes like the one at Molineux, with a high 5.8 duels won on average so far this season, even bettering Phillips’ 5.3 average during his debut standout season in the Premier League.
The hope will be that the German goes down as being as beloved as Phillips, as Leeds make instant survival look easy, with the 26-year-old often flying under the radar in his native country as an “underrated” gem, as he was once labelled by journalist Bence Bocsak.
Now, away from lining up for Hoffenheim, the brand new Whites number 18 on English soil might find he grows more and more into a Phillips-level player, as Leeds commend their transfer business in landing the well-rounded battler for just £17.4m.
