Leeds United attacker told exactly what to do to end difficult spell as role is justified
Leeds United attacker Brenden Aaronson has been told to concentrate on the basics rather than the complicated stuff after a struggle for end product.
Aaronson is currently the Whites' third highest goalscorer with eight, sitting two behind Daniel James and seven behind the Championship's joint leading scorer Joel Piroe. But seven of the American's strikes came in the first 24 league outings of the season and he's hit the net just once in the last 11 games. That goal, in the 7-0 rout of Cardiff City, was preceded by a five-goal drought and has been followed by the same. What's more, Aaronson is without an assist since December and has just two for the season despite playing in the number 10 role. Leeds have seven players with more assists than the 24-year-old. And though he has created six big chances, that's 11 fewer than James.
A self-confessed self-critic, Aaronson was previously advised by former Leeds boss Jesse Marsch to put less of an obsessive focus on end product and his current manager has echoed that refrain. Farke acknowledges that Aaronson is not hitting his best creative form but has defended the US Men's National Team international's continued presence in the starting line-up. Saturday's 1-1 draw marked his 33rd consecutive start but it was amongst his poorest performances, with next to no offensive impact.
"I think overall it's quite normal that sometimes players have a bit of a difficult spell," said Farke. "We could more or less go through each and every individual player. I would say each and every player [has had] perhaps two or three games or four games, a bit [of a] weaker spell during the season of 46 games. So for that, I wouldn't interpret too much into it. So what he still offers us is more or less relentless work rate and to be relentless in his work against the ball, in his pressing, in his counter pressing."
Perhaps in recognition of Aaronson's struggle to hit the net or come up with the necessary bit of magic to allow a team-mate to score, Farke has withdrawn him in each of the last three games. Against West Brom, Piroe dropped back to play as a second striker and Mateo Joseph went up front. That has seemed to be Farke's main alternative to Aaronson as a 10, in the absence of a more natural fit, though he has hypothesised that a wide player like Willy Gnonto, Manor Solomon or Largie Ramazani could fill the role or an offensive-minded midfielder like Ao Tanaka.
Given the importance Farke bestows on the other side of Aaronson's game, particularly when Leeds do not have the ball, the role he has played in a 17-game unbeaten run and the proximity to the finish line it feels unlikely that the German will begin experimenting with the number 10 position. For now at least, the message from the manager is simply for Aaronson to keep going and to focus more on the basics because he is showing enough of what Farke wants to see to justify his place.
"So at the moment, yeah, he finds it a bit difficult," said Farke. "The natural easiness is a little bit away like it was perhaps in the games before, but it's also always, always the same. So just keep going. Don't interpretate too much into it. Concentrate on the basic stuff to work for the team. It's feeling a bit like sometimes he's concentrating a bit too much about always having the perfect choice and the perfect complicated pass, because he wants to make things happen. To give him the message, come on, ease up, keep it simple and make sure that we keep the ball and don't always play the most complicated pass, just a bit more physical in order to keep the ball and then the end products, goals will come back. I think, yes, he had better spells during the season, but he still works further on pretty, pretty, pretty well for us as a team. And this is important, it is what I want to see when a player has, perhaps even on a personal level, a bit weaker spell, still show good work rate and be relentless for the team, be a good team-mate and this is what he's showing."