Three things to look for in Chelsea vs Leicester City
2. How does Chelsea cope in midfield?
One of the biggest reasons for Chelsea’s large-scale failure at Elland Road was its lack of a presence in midfield. The pivot of Conor Gallagher and Jorginho was pressed to high hell, resulting in the duo playing a restless, reckless game. The Blues had a hard time playing out and Leeds United forced a plethora of mistakes by deploying relentless pressure on the ball. Suffice it to say, Tuchel will need to come up with a different game plan for the Foxes.
While Leicester doesn’t have the necessary tools needed to press the home side as aggressively as the Whites, Rodgers is no fool. He’s one of the best tacticians in the Premier League on his day, which means Chelsea needs to be careful in its preparation.
N’Golo Kante will not face his former club, as he’s been ruled out another month or so through an injury he picked up against Tottenham a couple of weeks ago. Mateo Kovacic is not fit enough to start either, although Tuchel did state he could be brought on late for a 20-minute cameo. Regardless, this leaves the Blues thin in the middle of the park once again. It’d be truly shocking to see the gaffer send Gallagher and Jorginho out together again in a pivot. It’s not that either play performed poorly individually—poorly being a relative term considering everyone was bad against Leeds—they just didn’t click as a duo.
Thus, the options are extremely limited for Saturday’s match once again.
Tuchel will likely line his side up in its usual 3-4-3, meaning that fans could see Ruben Loftus-Cheek deployed in his natural central midfield role. It is worth noting that Ethan Ampadu and Trevoh Chalobah are also still hanging around the first team too. If Tuchel wants more defensive solidarity in the middle of the park, these wildcard options could come into play. If the German manager wants to reward Gallagher with another start though, it’s likely supporters are treated to a slight tactical tweak. It’d be in the Blues’ best interest to play Gallagher alongside Mason Mount as dual No. 8s, with Jorginho sitting in behind as a lone No. 6.
Even though Tuchel does have a central midfield shortage, he’s not devoid of options. It’d be surprising to see him play the same pivot as last weekend, especially given the experience in the middle of the park for the Foxes. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, James Maddison and Wilfred Ndidi all bring something unique to the table, creating one of the most underrated midfield trios in the English top flight. Tuchel needs to put out his best possible grouping to keep them quiet.