Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior, Leeds United manager Daniel Farke in a circular insert.
Leeds United play Chelsea next and will be looking to derail the Blues’ winning streak under Liam Rosenior to secure crucial points in their bid to avoid the drop.
Ahead of Tuesday’s Premier League meeting with Leeds United, Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior has reflected on the last encounter between the two sides.
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Chelsea suffered a 3-0 defeat at Elland Road in December, a result before Rosenior’s appointment at Stamford Bridge.
Going to Elland Road is always tough, claims Liam Rosenior
Rosenior recalled watching that match from a different perspective. “When I first watched that game, it was as a neutral,” he said. “I had no idea that within two or three months I’d be the manager of Chelsea.” He acknowledged the difficulty of playing at Leeds, adding, “Going to Elland Road, it’s always really, really difficult, always been difficult. Their fans back them really, really strongly at home.”
His focus, however, remains firmly on the present challenge. Rosenior was full of praise for the current Leeds team, highlighting their effective style of play. “Daniel’s an outstanding coach, Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s in really good form, the way that they press, their energy, their directness in a really positive way, it’s going to be a difficult game again.”
He pointed specifically to their latest performance as a blueprint Chelsea must counter. “You saw it against Nottingham Forest; they were magnificent in that game,” Rosenior stated. “When I say direct, I mean it in a really positive way. We need to stand up to that and overcome that.”
Rosenior made it clear that past results are not his concern. “I’m not here to talk about what’s happened in the past or what happened before I was here. I’m focused on the game tomorrow.” He aims to see a winning performance from his own team, noting, “My aim is we play a really high level in every minute of every game.”
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Past glory doesn’t count in this fixture
When asked about Leeds’ memorable win over Chelsea in December, Farke downplayed its relevance. “This result won’t help us tomorrow,” he said. “They may want to show a reaction, and we may need to be more on it.” He described that day as a “top performance,” but emphasised that the situation is now different under new management.
For lack of a better term, Leeds bullied Chelsea at Elland Road, and the stats certainly reflected this.
Leeds recorded an xG of 2.79 compared to Chelsea’s 0.96
This comes despite the Whites having just 29% possession in the reverse fixture (Sofascore)
The fact Leeds have proven to be able to cause Chelsea this much trouble with that little possession is certainly something Leeds can take confidence from ahead of their trip to Stamford Bridge, where Farke will be hoping his side can replicate the success they had back in December.
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