Leeds United
Things looked bleak on Tuesday night for Leeds United at Stamford Bridge. After 59 minutes, it looked like game over when Cole Palmer scored the home side’s second of the game from the penalty spot.
All night, Leeds had been conservative, sitting back and allowing pressure from the Chelsea attack. They got out of their half on some occasions in the first half, but there was just no support when they got high up the pitch. Daniel Farke was criticized by the Leeds faithful as soon as the starting lineup dropped. The Whites were missing Dominic Calvert-Lewin who was out with an illness.
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But it was the team selection that frustrated the away support; six defenders in the lineup with Lukas Nmecha the sole attacking player on paper. The system and shape played a huge part of why the team were pinned in their half for most of the game.
Leeds United man proves Daniel Farke wrong against Chelsea
When Leeds went 2-0 down, Farke decided to bring on Noah Okafor for Sebastiaan Bornauw. And immediately the winger came on he made an impact. Having another body up top stretched the game for Chelsea, who could not cope with Leeds on transitions. There were many opportunities late in the second half where the Whites got out of their half easily with a simple long ball.
Okafor operating around Lukas Nmecha changed the game; it occupied Chelsea’s backline, who now had more than one player to focus their attention on. Nmecha pulled one goal back from the penalty spot, and the second goal showed the importance of having two attackers on the pitch. There was a long ball up the pitch and Leeds had a three on two; a mixture of poor defending an alertness from Leeds players saw Okafor find himself in acres of space to tap the ball in for the equalizer.
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Farke needs to trust Okafor more
Last week, the winger was in fine form as he scored in the win over Nottingham Forest. So it was strange for him to be benched on Tuesday night, but it might have been a tactical decision. Noah Okafor has managed to turn things around and has been unlocked in his new forward role. It does not isolate him on the flanks, and gives him freedom to run in behind defenders, like how he got the goal against Nottingham. Daniel Farke now has the perfect option in tough away games, and needs to rely on the summer signing more.