Chelsea travels to Elland Road on Sunday to take on a Leeds United team that has always been a difficult opponent for the Blues. Chelsea needed two penalties to win this game last season, so there’s no telling what this contest will require. This game will especially take a lot from Thomas Tuchel’s men physically. The Blues and the Whites sit on the same number of points (four) after the same number of games (two) in the Premier League thus far.
Here’s who The Pride of London believes Tuchel picks to get the result that will eventually separate the teams in matchweek three:
Edouard Mendy (No. 16) Goalkeeper, Senegal
Surely you’re not asking why Edouard Mendy starts between the sticks.
Reece James (No. 24) Right centerback, England
Reece James was one of Chelsea’s best players last time out against Tottenham. Tuchel probably doesn’t plan to use James at right centerback long-term, but we can assume that he’ll deploy James here again because of the physical requirements of the game. Rodrigo has been sensational for Leeds thus far this season and Chelsea will need a fast defender like James to deal with him. Trevoh Chalobah could also get a chance at right centerback. James provided the cleanest finish of the match last time around against Spurs, and he seems to have continued his magnificent form from last season.
Thiago Silva (No. 6) Centerback, Brazil
Thiago Silva was generally OK and he was also guilty of being out of position for the last corner of the game. If it is “zonal marking” and “that’s bound to happen,” then Chelsea will concede a lot of unnecessary goals and it’s near impossible to make the case that they’re unavoidable. Weirdly, many fans seem to think the Blues can do without physically dominant centerbacks. Yet, none of their rivals do. Manchester City forked out more than £60million for Ruben Dias, despite already having a plethora of centerbacks options who are very good passers of the ball. Liverpool has three centerbacks as tall as or taller than 6-foot-4 (1.93 meters).
Kalidou Koulibaly (No. 26) Left centerback, Senegal
Kalidou Koulibaly was superb for msot of the game agaisnt Spurs. he rarely put a foot wrong, but he wasn’t flawless. he was grossly out of position for the seond Tottenham equaliser. yes, arguents that the corner shouldn’t have stood in the first place is valid, but it doesn’t negate the fact that the corner was given and Chelsea still had to deal with it.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (No. 12) Right wingback, England
The general consensus on Ruben Loftus-Cheek at right wingback is that he was superb against Spurs. How much of that is down to the kind of opponents he played against is largely irrelevant. He was superb and he deserves another start in the same role. Loftus-Cheek’s ball carrying was top notch and he provided much needed width.
The Englishman also deserves extra credit for keeping up his performance after being moved back to central midfield when Cesar Azpilicueta came on. Only Mason Mount and Kai Havertz contested more duels than Loftus-Cheek (19), and Loftus-Cheek won more duels than either of them. He also created two chances, with no Chelsea players creating more on the day.
Jorginho (No. 5) Central midfielder, Italy
Jorginho had a fantastic game agaisnt Spurs, however, he takes full responsibility for Tottenham’s first equaliser. There are a number of things Jorginho could’ve done, or tried to do, in that situation. Instead, he chose the worst option by a mile. Trying to dribble by two players in your own box as a defensive player is high up there with the worst decisions ever made by a player in the game. Jorginho, like Loftus-Cheek, also created two chances in the game though.
Conor Gallagher (No. 23) Central midfielder, England
Conor Gallagher came on and instantly showed everyone what made him so successful at Crystal Palace last season. He won the ball back just at the top of the semi-circle and Chelsea was on top of Tottenham again. It remains to be seen where Tuchel deploys Gallagher, as Gallagher is much more of an attacking midfielder than a holding midfielder. However, with N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic injured, it won’t be long until we find out.
Marc Cucurella (No. 32) Left wingback, Spain
Marc Cucurella showed his quality against Spurs. His passing technique was so refined. He completed 88% of his passing, which is high for a wingback. He also completed two out of seven attempted crosses. Overall, Cucurella had a good game. The Blues’ latest signing is likely going to be Chelsea’s starting left wingback going forward. His crossing is superb and his assist to Koulibaly for the team’s first goal was from a perfect cross over the Tottenham defense.
Mason Mount (No. 19) Right winger, England
Mason Mount was fantastic for Chelsea against Tottenham. He was key to why the Blues were able to dominate on the day. His pressing was so good, as he contested 10 tackles and won seven of them. Mount contested 20 ground duels and won 11 of them, as well. He refused to give Spurs breathing space—literally. His crossing was subpar, completing just one of six attempted crosses. His two shots were off-target too. That magnificent work rate will be essential in this game too.
Kai Havertz (No. 29) Center forward, Germany
Kai Havertz has clearly lost the trust of the manager. This center forward debacle helps put the Romelu Lukaku saga in perspective. Chelsea is heavily linked with FC Barcelona forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and the sides seem close to agreeing a deal. Aubameyang is not likely to play alongside Havertz, he’s much more likely to play instead of Havertz up top.
It’s extremely ironic that after fans defended the Lukaku sidelining by claiming he was so great in the “false nine role” and that’s why Lukaku had to sit. Fans cited his work rate, off-the-ball runs and ability to drop deep and link-up play.
Raheem Sterling (No. 17) Left winger, England
Raheem Sterling was great against Tottenham. He made a great run early in the first half against Spurs where he got to the ball and back-heeled it right into the path of Havertz, who was running into the box hot on Sterling heels. He had some other very clever runs and it was fun to watch him work. Sterling hasn’t started contributing the goals Chelsea fans were promised though.
While Sterling was great last week, he wasn’t at the same time. He completed zero out of five dribbles he attempted and won just one duel out of nine. If the Blues get Aubameyang, Tuchel is likely to deploy them both as a front two. He may also choose the play Sterling at his preferred left winger position with Aubameyang playing through the middle.
Who do you see in the starting XI on Sunday? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!