Leeds United are heading into a crucial game with Chelsea this Wednesday night with selection decisions afoot across the board for Daniel Farke.
Daniel Farke needs wins on the board as soon as possible to keep his job as Leeds manager, and that includes trying to get something out of Chelsea tomorrow night.
The Blues are chasing an outside shot at the Premier League title this season, and head to Elland Road depleted from a busy week, and potentially vulnerable to a banana skin.
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Leeds United team news vs Chelsea: Dan James out for 8 weeks, Anton Stach fit
The two most important bits of team news from Farke’s press conference were Dan James and Anton Stach’s fitness.
Bad news first: James has been ruled out for eight weeks minimum due to the hamstring issue he picked up at Man City. Worryingly, his hamstring tendon may require surgery and therefore a longer absence as a result.
On a more positive note, Anton Stach has passed concussion protocols, and is fit to face Chelsea after sitting out at the Etihad.
Here, I look at the lineup I’m expecting Farke to name against Enzo Maresca’s Blues…
Goalkeeper: Lucas Perri
There’s plenty of justified clamour for Karl Darlow each week at the moment. Lucas Perri is one factor of Leeds’ significant dip in form, he’s not been great.
He was decent against City in certain respects, but then poor in others. Perhaps the best summary was him beating away Phil Foden’s fierce drive at 1-0, only to flap at the resulting corner for 2-0 – granted he was nudged off balance.
Lucas Perri is set to start again for Leeds United v Chelsea. (REUTERS/Chris Radburn)
His distribution was hit and miss against City too. In the first half, Farke again bafflingly wanted the Brazilian to play short, something we all know he’s not capable of. In the second, he went long and it paid off. Perri’s launch in the direction of Jayden Bogle led to Leeds’ penalty for 2-2.
Against Chelsea, Perri needs to stick to basics, be much more assertive from crosses, and ping long balls almost exclusively unless Chelsea aren’t pressing high.
Defence: Joe Rodon, Jaka Bijol, Pascal Struijk
That improved second half at City was helped by shoring up the defence with an additional centre-back in Jaka Bijol.
Jaka Bijol could get another start v Chelsea after his impressive Leeds United sub appearance. (Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith)
The Slovenian has found his only joy in 25/26 on international duty playing in the middle of a back three, and we saw exactly that when he was introduced.
Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon took a lot of the buildup burden off the sometimes-clunky Bijol, and it allowed him to focus on his strengths much more: defending his box and clearing his lines.
In having these three giants in defence, Leeds should also demonstrate a decent threat from set pieces too.
Midfield: Jayden Bogle, Ao Tanaka, Ethan Ampadu, Anton Stach, Gabriel Gudmundsson
We’ve all been saying it. If Leeds haven’t got enough wide options to effectively play a 4-3-3 for 90 mimutes, go to a back three.
Not only does it help the centre-backs as I mentioned above, but it platforms two of Leeds’ best players much better – Gabriel Gudmundsson and Jayden Bogle. Very few full-backs this season will say they kept Jeremy Doku completely silent, but Bogle’s one of them.
Jayden Bogle is looking for another strong performance for Leeds United. (Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff)
The pair’s dynamism out wide is a real asset for us in attack. Additionally, extra protection from wider centre-backs will benefit them greatly.
In midfield, it’s a similar setup with a three of Ethan Ampadu sandwiched between the returning Anton Stach and Ao Tanaka. Leeds need to use their energy and intensity to get at what could be a lethargic and rotated Chelsea, which Stach brings in abundance.
Ilia Gruev was by no means needing to be dropped after City, I thought he was very good. However, this three is Leeds’ best midfield and it ought to start when they’re fit.
Attack: Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Lukas Nmecha
All of Leeds’ striker pool are better when they’re playing in a pair. We saw exactly that play out in the second half that I keep harping on about.
Lukas Nmecha cut a lonely figure in the first 45 at City. He was then given a spring in his step when playing in close proximity to Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The latter allows Leeds to play directly from Perri and the centre-backs. It would allow us to bypass all of the compact mid-blocks you see in the Premier League. Man City suffocated the midfield, but looked totally lost whenever the ball was launched to DCL. Chelsea might face similar issues if he starts.
Playing in a two also brings other options into the mix. Such as, Noah Okafor would have more support, as well as Joel Piroe being actually viable too.
Full Leeds United predicted XI to face Chelsea:
Read more: BBC pundit Chris Sutton predicts Leeds United v Chelsea.