The Pride of London
Fansided

Chelsea vs Leeds predicted XI: 3-4-1-2 with Werner and Lukaku again

By Olaoluwa Nwobodo

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 14: Marcos Alonso of Chelsea celebrates with teammate Mason Mount after scoring their side's first goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on August 14, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 14: Marcos Alonso of Chelsea celebrates with teammate Mason Mount after scoring their side's first goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on August 14, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 14: Marcos Alonso of Chelsea celebrates with teammate Mason Mount after scoring their side’s first goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on August 14, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 14: Marcos Alonso of Chelsea celebrates with teammate Mason Mount after scoring their side’s first goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on August 14, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images) /

Reece James (No. 24) Right wingback, England

Reece James wasn’t bad in central midfield against Zenit, but it’s difficult to give him any credit because of how open Chelsea’s midfield was on the night. The Russian giants effectively played a midfield three and while the Blues were supposed to be playing a midfield two, one of Chelsea’s central midfielders strayed up the pitch more than he should’ve and it made sure James was outnumbered three-to-one in midfield. No midfielder wins that battle in those circumstances. All that said, James should be returned to right wingback, as he’s most effective there and has a lot more time and space on the ball to affect play. There’s an obsession in every fanbase for fans to see players played in a positions other than their most effective. The reason James affects play as well as he does is because he plays at right wingback.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek (No. 12) Central midfielder, England

Ruben Loftus-Cheek is likely to be fit for this game. He has left a lot to be desired, especially in terms of distribution. Chelsea cannot use the injury excuse for long because it is part of the game and every manager has to work around that. This means that the players that are fit have to step up to the plate. Loftus-Cheek looked like he didn’t have a chance coming into the season, but its credit to the Englishman that he took his chances whenever he was presented with them, and was then rewarded with more opportunities. Tuchel has shown that he runs a meritocracy when handing out playing time and that’s motivation for players who aren’t currently in the squad to put their heads down and work. The Leeds game will be a very difficult one, and Loftus-Cheek cannot afford to hold on to the ball for longer than he needs to.

Jorginho (No. 5) Central midfielder, Italy

Jorginho has been playing through injury according to Tuchel, and he will likely be playing with a knock if he starts/features against Leeds United. It is not advisable to field players who are not at 100 percent fitness. However, Chelsea is in a unique situation and it needs a balanced midfield and to get that, the Blues need Jorginho. Chelsea missed a balanced central midfield in its last few games, and it was particularly open in its last game against Zenit. Jorginho did make a less than ideal pass to Mendy in his last game but it was still a completed pass. It is clear to see how much the Blues miss the Italian whenever he doesn’t play.

Marcos Alonso (No. 3) Left wingback, Spain

Many were loving Saul when the Zenit game started, but were back to hating him by the time the game ended. Saul didn’t have a bad game though. He made 13 defensive actions, leading the team in blocked shots and tackles. He ranked second for clearances and joint-second for interceptions. The Blues came under a lot of pressure and found themselves needing to do a lot of defending, Saul did that. Only Malang Sarr made more defensive actions than the Spaniard. Speaking of Spaniards, Marcos Alonso was rested against Zenit and likely returns to the side. Many thought they wanted “anyone but Alonso,” but Callum Hudson-Odoi has been given a run-out there, which led to a match-up against Michail Antonio. Saul has been given a run-out there and he’s still hated, so it shows the role is not as easy to play as loudmouths have suggested, who knew?

Home/Premier League