How Leeds United sparked internal Chelsea talks after convincing Elland Road win
Enzo Maresca's side were beaten 3-1 by Leeds United at Elland Road last week.
Leeds United’s brilliant 3-1 win at home to Chelsea has reportedly sparked internal talks between players at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea arrived at Elland Road last week in great form, having beaten Barcelona and drawn 1-1 against title favourites Arsenal as part of a seven-game unbeaten run beforehand. But a rotated Blues side were well-beaten by Leeds, whose change of formation and more direct approach caused huge problems from the off.
Jaka Bijol put Leeds ahead from a corner inside six minutes, with Ao Tanaka doubling his side’s lead with a thunderbolt just before half-time. Pedro Neto pulled one back for Chelsea but a defensive error allowed Dominic Calvert-Lewin to restore a two-goal lead for the Whites, with Elland Road bouncing.
Chelsea’s inability to cope with the physicality of Leeds wasn’t all that surprising, given they boast the Premier League’s youngest squad and also struggled against the likes of Sunderland and Champions League opponents Qarabag. And the Daily Mail reports that senior players have taken it upon themselves to address the issue.
Led by club captain Reece James, who watched last week’s Elland Road defeat from the bench having played 90 minutes against Arsenal the weekend before, Chelsea players are believed to have spoken about their struggles against so-called ‘lesser’ opposition. A lack of consistency is seen as ‘concerning’ after they followed great performances against Barcelona and Arsenal with a loss at Leeds.
Leeds United performance sparked strong Enzo Maresca reaction
That young Chelsea side - who along with James were also missing Moises Caicedo, Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia at Elland Road - were completely overrun by Leeds, who utilised their home advantage with great effect. Unlike Saturday’s 3-3 draw against Liverpool, Daniel Farke’s side were always in the driving seat and his opposite number made no excuses after full-time on the night.
"I think they were better than us in all the aspects, they deserved to win the game," Maresca admitted. “We performed so well against Arsenal, Barcelona, but it's not possible to perform the same way [every time]. For different reasons the level is not going to be always the same. When you come here, away against any team, if you don't perform at 100 per cent the Premier League is tough.
"Tonight's game there was not one who was at his level or best level. Probably Pedro, [Alejandro] Garnacho second half were our best players. We had two chances with Cole [Palmer] and João [Pedro] but the third goal changed the game. I hope we had a bad night. It's a game you struggle to find something you can take from the game. They were, on the ball, off the ball, duels, second ball, much better than us."
Chelsea weren’t alone in struggling under the Elland Road pressure last week. Liverpool coped better with Leeds’ physicality on Saturday but despite going 2-0 and 3-2 up in the second-half, fell victim to Tanaka’s added-time equaliser which capped off a great week for Farke’s side.