Leeds United 3-0 Chelsea player ratings: Away day disaster

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LEEDS, ENGLAND – AUGUST 21: Jorginho of Chelsea reacts after Rodrigo Moreno of Leeds United scores their team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Leeds United and Chelsea FC at Elland Road on August 21, 2022 in Leeds, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /

Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Right wingback): 5/10

After an amazing performance from Ruben Loftus-Cheek against Spurs, this game brings the English player down to earth as he essentially struggled to create any clear-cut chances in the first half. This clearly shows that Loftus-Cheek is not the perfect cover for James at the right wingback position, but only an imperfect solution. In the second half, Thomas Tuchel changed the system and played with three midfielders, out of which Loftus-Cheek was one of them.

Jorginho (Central midfielder): 4/10

Throughout his Chelsea career, Jorginho has always struggled with opponents that are very agile and quick to close him down. With Jorginho’s lack of pace comes the danger of him giving away the ball and turning over possession in dangerous positions—that is exactly what happened throughout the game on Sunday. Leeds United had a plan in mind to attack the Italian midfielder, and it worked wonders as he couldn’t create chances. He got dispossessed regularly.

Conor Gallagher (Central midfielder): 5/10

Conor Gallagher finally made his much-awaited full debut for the club, but it was not the best debut in recent memory. Gallagher showed signs of brilliance on the ball with his passing, but also gave away the ball more times than Tuchel would have wanted. His energy off the ball was also commendable, but with Leeds dominating the midfield, Gallagher couldn’t do much in terms of changing the outcome of the game. During the second half, Gallagher played a bit better after Tuchel changed the formation, indicating that the midfielder is more of a No. 8 than No 6.

Marc Cucurella (Left wingback): 6/10

Marc Cucurella was one of the better players for Chelsea on the day. He was solid on the ball, crisp with his passing and he did well to play the ball out of the Blues’ half when under pressure from Leeds attackers. Despite putting in a solid performance, Cucurella lacked the attacking threat a player like Ben Chilwell has in the opposition’s box. The Spanish international squandered a lot of chances, shooting the ball off target. Still, an upgrade on a player like Marcos Alonso nonetheless, but Cucurella still needs a lot of time to adapt to Tuchel’s system.

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