Chelsea at Leeds predicted XI: Romelu Lukaku slots into 3-4-1-2

Reece James (No. 24) Right wingback, England

Reece James was average against Wolves. A lot has been said about his attacking and defensive prowess. The truth is that he still has a long way to go as a fullback and wingback. His crosses are very good, but he doesn’t make them nearly enough for them to have any impact. The most effective way for a fullback to impact the game is through crosses. In fact, the most impactful way for a creative passer to impact a game is through crosses, as they—by definition—bypass several players. Yes, they have a low success rate, but that’s where other players come in. A good cross may not meet it’s target in the box, but it disorients the opposition’s back line and it can be picked up from the other end and swung in again, if someone is there. Less crosses naturally mean less goalscoring opportunities for a team.

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

Ruben Loftus-Cheek has generally played well this season. At the beginning of the season, the discussion around him was whether he was going back out on loan or leaving permanently, so anything is really a positive given those circumstances. He has taken most of his chances throughout the campaign and even helped the Blues reach an FA Cup final.

Mateo Kovacic (No. 8) Central midfielder, Croatia

Mateo Kovacic made a completely needless error against Wolves that helped get Bruno Lage’s men back into the game. This, unfortunately, is not rare for the Croatian. He does have a habit of losing the ball in dangerous areas while trying to dribble out of tight spaces. The infuriating thing is that he was not in a tight spot in this particular scenario. He made the worst possible choice out of five different ones. Chelsea fans and probably the manager trust Kovacic’s dribbling, but he should not be getting caught in possession like that.

Marcos Alonso (No. 3) Left wingback, Spain

Shock—I know! Tuchel is a competent football coach who is well aware of his options at left wingback, or even left back. Those not living under a rock have heard of the reports that there was a bust-up between Tuchel and Alonso. Of course, it’s difficult to know if that is actually true, however, Alonso also reportedly had a bust-up with his former manager Frank Lampard.

All anyone has to do at this point is to hint at a bust-up between Alonso and anyone and it will be eaten up by the fans. Tuchel has made some shocking decisions lately and Alonso has not been blameless in many of the bad results Chelsea has had this season. It would be surprising if those two cannot work through whatever issues they have before Wednesday. Matt Law has claimed that Chelsea denied the bust-up.