Chelsea face Leeds is a match that is pretty much a must win. In order to stop Manchester City from opening up the gap, it is necessary to obtain all three points despite our recent form.
Two games, six goals conceded, 0 wins. That is not a stat that Thomas Tuchel is happy with and I can only imagine that the players mimic his disappointment. It’s time for the boys to react and restore faith in the Chelsea camp once more.
The Premier League title is in the balance and the scales were once tipped in our favour. In order to tip them back over, there are a few things that the Blues need to rectify.
Reece James & Marcos Alonso at Wingback
Thomas Tuchel had trialled and tested a couple of changes again Zenit St Petersburg in Chelsea’s midweek clash. The match saw Saul Niguez come in for Alonso as a left wing-back and James make a switch move into midfield.
Whilst James’ move to midfield showed no cause for concern, Chelsea’s flanks suffered. I really do dislike the notion of Callum Hudson-Odoi having to play as a wing-back. Despite having stellar performances as a winger, Tuchel has had to shift the 21-year-old back to his undesirable position as a right wing-back. Saul also made his left wing-back debut and I can see why he may not have favoured it himself at Atletico.
Despite the criticism for Alonso, he is a solid wing-back on his day. That mustn’t be overlooked especially considering the high quality starts that he had at the start of this season.
Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku link up
The pair played together in midweek and I must say, I was very impressed with their link-up. Both players seemed to understand each other well and both ended up on the score sheet. I can only imagine that these goal-scoring machines would want to replicate their performance against Leeds.
When two forwards are in form, the last thing you’d want to do is take minutes off from their belt. It’s incredibly important for Tuchel to start these two together with hopes of getting in behind Leeds’ defence. With a cheeky Mason Mount or Hakim Ziyech in behind them, I’m sure there would be an abundance of chances created to land them on the score sheet.
Their desire to fight
Thomas Tuchel spoke about Chelsea’s behaviour from their midweek draw with Zenit. He implied that their mentality was not where it should be. This honest remark in itself calls for some level of concern. We've heard it all before, from a number of coaches regarding the Chelsea team. It has been a reoccurring theme since Jose Mourinho’s second spell.
The players must show a desire to fight and maximise their efforts to turn the mentality around. If anyone can help them do this, it's Tuchel.
All in all, I’d just like the three points, please. I’m not entirely fussed as to the scoreline. I do predict a possible jammy 1-0 to Chelsea, however, three points is three points. It will help us build up the right mentality for our charge for the title. Fingers crossed going into this must-win game.
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