Three ways Leeds United could line up with Facundo Buonanotte amid Everton debut hope
Leeds United's January loan arrival could make his debut under Daniel Farke at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday.
New Leeds United signing Facundo Buonanotte could make his debut next week when Daniel Farke’s side face Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. The 21-year-old moved to Elland Road on loan from Brighton last week, having initially snubbed the opportunity in favour of joining Chelsea over the summer.
Buonanotte was instantly brought into the matchday squad last weekend and watched from the bench as Leeds beat Fulham 1-0 courtesy of Lukas Nmecha’s added-time winner. The Argentinian will have had a full week of training under his belt come Monday’s trip to Merseyside and could get his first chance to impress.
A major strength of Buonanotte’s is his ability to operate in multiple slightly different positions across the attacking unit, which makes sense for Farke’s newly-unpredictable set up. Below, the YEP takes a look at three ways Leeds could line up with their new loan arrival.
Direct Brenden Aaronson replacement
The simplest way to introduce Buonanotte into the starting-XI would be to replace Aaronson, who currently lays claim to the inside-right spot of a fluid 3-4-2-1 formation. The American is a wide-man on paper but has freedom to drift into more central areas, with Jayden Bogle hugging the touchline and the right centre-back also free to push forward.
Tactically, it is the perfect remit for Buonanotte who excels at drifting into space between the lines and working in tight areas, drawing defenders in before playing decisive passes. And with Bogle occupying the opposition full-back in such an attacking role, there is no obvious person to pick up the on-loan Argentinian which could cause major problems.
Buonanotte wouldn’t be able to shirk his defensive responsibilities, however, and would be expected to support Bogle when Leeds are out of possession, something few do better than Aaronson. Dropping the 25-year-old is also not a simple decision to make given his recent form and growing confidence.
Chelsea re-run as Lukas Nmecha comes in
One of Leeds’ best performances this season came against Buonanotte’s former loan club, Chelsea, and ended in a dominant 3-1 home win back in December. Farke pleasantly surprised many by sticking with his half-time Manchester City switch and playing Nmecha alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The pair wreaked havoc upfront together and on that particular evening, it was left to Anton Stach and Ao Tanaka to sweep up loose balls. Buonanotte could replace the latter and move into a more natural No.10 role, linking between midfield and attack while picking up knockdowns from his two physical teammates.
Having Nmecha and Calvert-Lewin would also improve Buonanotte’s chances of finding someone with a corner or free-kick. It does risk leaving both Bogle and Gabriel Gudmundsson a little vulnerable on either side, however, with no natural winger to drop in and help them defend.
Fluid trio behind Calvert-Lewin
While Leeds’ recent success has come following the switch to a back-three at City, a decent chunk of goals have actually come after a mid-game return to a back-four. That tweak would theoretically bring on another attacking player if, as was the case against Liverpool and Sunderland, Farke is chasing goals.
Should Leeds move to a back-four in game, then Buonanotte could be part of a more fluid attacking trio that rotates behind Calvert-Lewin or Nmecha. He and Aaronson can comfortably switch between drifting central and sticking wide, while Okafor on the other side can move between left-wing or joining a striker in the box.
A more fluid unit would obviously cause more problems for opposition defenders, with players able to double up and overload certain areas. It would, however, see Leeds lose a little structure which would therefore make them slightly more vulnerable to counter-attacks.