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

Romelu Lukaku (No. 9) Right forward, Belgium

There’s been a lot of talk about the fluidity that Kai Havertz is said to bring. Romelu Lukaku scored in his last match, and it was good because he needed to start scoring. Lukaku still needs to play more regularly to build his match fitness and his chemistry with his teammates. Not everything is down to tactical instruction. Fans need to realize that at some point, they do have to be patient. Of course, patience is now forced because the Blues didn’t just spend £50 million on the signing, they spent £97 million. He cannot just be discarded for the shinier toy. Lukaku has shown what he can do, over a 10-year career, he didn’t suddenly become a bad striker because he put on the Chelsea shirt. Strikers operate on instinct and non-verbal communication more than anything else, so Chelsea must allow that chemistry to build. No shortcut to success.

Hakim Ziyech (No. 22) Central attacking midfielder, Morocco

Hakim Ziyech was rested against Zenit, or that was the plan anyway. He was brought for the closing 25 minutes of the game. He couldn’t put his stamp on it and really didn’t do much of anything. He did play a role in linking up the superb play that led to Chelsea’s third goal and Werner’s second of the night. Unfortunately, the Blues couldn’t hold the lead, which has been a theme of the previous week. Ziyech won two out of three duels though, and registered three defensive actions, which was three times more than Barkley and Mason Mount registered combined. Ziyech has been wrongly criticized for his work rate because he doesn’t run 900 miles per hour in every game. Ziyech is still one of the most intelligent pressers on the team.

Timo Werner (No. 11) Left forward, Germany

Werner carried the attack against Zenit. The German has been heavily criticized since he arrived because of the number of chances he has missed. He has always been a very important part of Chelsea’s attack. His positioning and runs helped carve open Zenit’s not so great defense (a Blues fan is one to talk). Werner scored twice and assisted the only goal he didn’t score himself. Werner’s confidence is in a place that could only benefit Chelsea, and with his connection with Ziyech, a starting line-up with the two could prove very fruitful against a Leeds side that’ll never sit back, even if it was hypothetically promised a top four spot for doing just that.

Who makes your starting XI? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!