Chelsea v Leeds United Match Thread

[Volvo Jack]

Looked at the Chelsea v Leeds game F.A. Replay this morning great to watch apart from the actual result
Don'think the players of tomorrow nights game could stand up to 90 minutes of that.

[pjm2019]

I think DF will pick the following


Darlow
Bogle
Gudmundsson
Rodon
Bijol
Justin
Ampadu
Gruev
Longstaff
DCL
Aaronson

[Cjay]

I think DF will pick the following


Darlow
Bogle
Gudmundsson
Rodon
Bijol
Justin
Ampadu
Gruev
Longstaff
DCL
Aaronson

[Johnsie123]

I would take a draw tomorrow,Chelsea playing well at mo I just think a draw is a good result ,and I see Bijol as the only change Darlow and okafor keep there spots for Me.
I would like to see Tanaka play but we need Grueve tomorrow.

[The Subhuman]

He might with Stach out and it being Chelsea away.

[Johnthewhite]

Darlow
Bogle
Gudmundsson
Ampadu
Rodon
Bijol
Justin
Gruev
Aaronson
DCL
Okafor

Come on boys let's get stuck into them

[Ellandback1]

Chelsea v Leeds United
10th February@19:30 | Stamford Bridge

Leeds United travel down to South West London on Tuesday evening to face Chelsea, with the goal of completing a league double over the Blues for the first time since their 1991-92 title-winning campaign. Chelsea boast an impressive record against the Whites at Stamford Bridge, remaining unbeaten in their last seven Premier League matches, with six consecutive wins and a draw. The last time Chelsea suffered a defeat at the hands of Leeds was in December 1999, when Stephen McPhail's brace secured a 2-0 win for the visitors.

Despite the challenging task ahead, Leeds boss Daniel Farke remains optimistic, highlighting the importance of staying emotionally level when facing big-name teams. In his pre-match press conference, Farke emphasised the need for a calm and composed leader, stating, "The fire is burning inside, and I am a pretty emotional person. But if you want to be a manager at this level, you can't jump around on the sidelines or in a press conference.

The players need a proper leader who they know they can trust, who stays balanced and calm." Farke also acknowledged that his team cannot always expect to beat top teams like Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Chelsea, but expressed confidence in his team's ability to compete. In terms of team news, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Ilia Gruev are expected to be fit for the match, while Pascal Struijk and Anton Stach (both groin issues) will miss out.

Farke provided an update on Struijk's condition, stating, "Pascal was a rock in the last weeks. He is the only left-footed centre-back, and if you play with three at the back, it makes a difference. His strength in the air, in the last game, he won so many headers. It is not ideal to not have him available." Farke also expressed his confidence in his team's ability to perform on the road, saying, "It is still the same game, same rules, 11 v 11. You feel more comfortable at home, but it's still the same game. We travel with confidence, belief, and if we perform well, we know we have a chance on the road."



Farke reflected on Leeds' win over Chelsea in December, which marked a turning point in their season. He stated, "Each time we win, it's a pivotal game. There was no turning point. We had wins before, at home and on the road. One thing is for sure, it was a top performance and fully deserved win. Days like this don't come that often, that you are able to dominate one of the big names." However, Farke cautioned that the win will not give his team an advantage in the upcoming match, saying, "This result won't help us tomorrow. They may want to show a reaction, and we maybe need to be more on it."

When asked about the points tally needed to stay in the Premier League, Farke downplayed the importance of setting a specific target, stating, "It doesn't matter if I change my assessment of how many points we need. It's not like if we achieve 38 points, we want to stop winning points. In general, the data and stats say one point average per game you will stay up. If it's one out of 20 seasons or whatever where you need more points, then we need more points. I am not too concentrated on doing maths. I am concentrated on winning football games."

Farke also praised the form of Ilia Gruev, saying, "He was always a very reliable player for us. You always get a seven-out-of-10 performance from him. He has a really good defensive awareness, tactically spot on, covers more than 12km every game, and helps us with reliability in passing. He is an important player for us and going forward." Additionally, Farke welcomed the return of Dan James, who has been out injured for eight and a half weeks, saying, "It's good we have him back. He was out for relatively long, and even before it was on and off for him in terms of injury. He is a very experienced player, knows his body, and what he has to do. He came back in good shape."

Meanwhile, Chelsea will be looking to build on their recent wins over Brentford, Crystal Palace, and West Ham, as well as their 3-1 victory over Wolves, courtesy of a Cole Palmer hat-trick. The Blues will be hoping to have club captain Reece James available for the match, who has missed the last two games due to injury. However, Tosin Adarabioyo (hamstring), Levi Colwill (ACL), Romeo Lavia (muscle), Dario Essugo (thigh), and Jamie Gittens (hamstring) will all miss out

[John in Louisiana]

Have a meeting tomorrow that takes me right through game time.

[1964white]

Here are the key lines from hi
Farke's press conference:

Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Ilia Gruev should be fit but Pascal Struijk and Anton Stach will miss out.

Offering more detail, Farke said: "Dominic was struggling with illness but I hope it's not too bad. Pascal Struijk will definitely miss this game, he has problems with his hip flexor. Stach will be back probably just for the Villa game. Apart from this I hope to have everyone available."

On Struijk, Farke added: "You miss a player with red-hot form. Pascal was a rock in the last weeks. He is the only left-footed centre-back. If you play with three at the back it makes a difference. A right-footed player has different passing angles. Also his strength in the air, in the last game he won so many headers. It is not ideal to not have him available."

On travelling to one of the big-name clubs on the road, Farke offered: "It is still the same game, same rules, 11 v 11. You feel more comfortable at home but it's still the same game. We travel with confidence, belief and if we perform well we know we have a chance on the road."

Farke reflected on the win over Chelsea in December - a result which started a superb upturn in form for Leeds: "Each time we win it's a pivotal game. There was no turning point. We had wins before, at home and on the road. One thing is for sure, it was a top performance and fully deserved win. Days like this don't come that often that you are able to dominate one of the big names. To win in this way, this is why we worked so hard for two and a half years to be back on this level. This result won't help us tomorrow. They may want to show a reaction and we maybe need to be more on it."

On a points tally needed to stay in the Premier League: "It doesn't matter if I change my assessment of how many points we need. It's not like if we achieve 38 points we want to stop winning points. In general, the data and stats say one point average per game you will stay up. If it's one out of 20 seasons or whatever where you need more points, then we need more points. I am not too concentrated on doing maths. I am concentrated on winning football games."

Facundo Buonanotte was left out against Nottingham Forest and asked if he has impressed since, Farke said: "We had the session on Saturday morning with a smaller group - Sunday a light one. It wasn't that you could impress too much in the session. He is a top guy and reacted in the way we expected."

Farke was asked about the form of Gruev and praised his consistency, stating: "He was always a very reliable player for us. You always get a seven-out-of-10 performance from him. He has a really good defensive awareness, tactically spot on, covers more than 12km every game and helps us with reliability in passing. He is an important player for us and going forward."

On the return of Dan James: "It's good we have him back. He was out for eight and a half weeks, relatively long. Even before it was on and off for him in terms of injury. He is a very experienced player, knows his body and what he has to do. He came back in good shape. Right now, each day, with us on the training pitch is beneficial. He looked sharp in training and was involved in the matchday squad. So it's good to have him back. Hopefully now he can stay fit."

Farke was asked how he stays emotionally level when his side come up against the Premier League's big-name teams and suffer setbacks: "The fire is burning inside and I am a pretty emotional person. If you want to be a manager at this level you can't jump around on the sidelines or in a press conference. The players need a proper leader who they know they can trust, who stays balanced and calm. I can't allow myself to burst out too often with my emotions. After the game, before the game, you are concentrated and focused. The players are emotional anyway. For such a passionate club, it never works if you can't handle the heat. Against the big teams you have mixed results. You can't always beat Man City, Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea, whatever."

[Musicman1965]

Bijol has to start as the main centre back imo. He is our best defender by far and a major threat at set peices.

[Volvo Jack]

Just watched the Chelsea v Leeds F.A. Cup replay again no one wearing yellow / pink slippers in that game. Apart from the result a game well watching again I switched of at the final whistle.
Will be well satisfied with a draw.

[Carrick Dave]

Darlow
Bogle
Gudmundsson
Ampadu
Rodon
Bijol
Justin
Gruev
Aaronson
DCL
Okafor

Come on boys let's get stuck into them

After the home game, I’m wondering if Farke might start Nmecha alongside DCL.

[pjm2019]

will this be shown on Sky perhaps a red button option ?

[Carrick Dave]

will this be shown on Sky perhaps a red button option ?

I think TNT have the rights to all PL games this week, and our FA cup game's on TNT too.

[Johnthewhite]

will this be shown on Sky perhaps a red button option ?

Not on Sky, TNT tonight

[Johnthewhite]

I think TNT have the rights to all PL games this week, and our FA cup game's on TNT too.

Beat me to it

[Johnthewhite]

After the home game, I’m wondering if Farke might start Nmecha alongside DCL.

Possibly, but it would mean change and you know DF won't do that (according to some on here)

[1964white]

A bit quiet here on match day.

Maybe all the fun begins soon.

[1964white]

[CHAPELALLMAN]

Used to live in Fulham at one time, and that's why I don't like Chelsea or their fans. Not a pretty site when they used to pile off the tube at Fulham Broadway on match days.

Fulham fans on the other hand always seemed like a decent lot- not surly or aggressive at all.