Leeds United will be hoping to continue their bright start to the Premier League season on Sunday when they face Chelsea at Elland Road. Patrick Bamford and Liam Cooper are rated as touch and go at present and Jesse Marsch will make a decision on the pair on Saturday as he puts his side together to face Thomas Tuchel’s Blues.
Ahead of the match, we have tasked our Leeds United writers Beren Cross and William Jackson with selecting their starting line-ups.
Beren Cross
Dropping the two points at Southampton last weekend paves the way for an abundance of overzealous changes in Leeds United’s line-up. However, they really have played pretty well in the opening three hours of the season.
If I were in the dugout, the one dilemma I would have is where you would expect: in the frontline. Reading between Jesse Marsch’s lines would suggest Patrick Bamford is not worth the risk on Sunday, which opens the door to a debate we all grew frustrated with last season.
If Leeds really are prepared to get through to the January transfer window without adding a striker, assuming the dominoes don’t fall as Marsch hopes, this match will prove how they hope to get by without him. For me, Joe Gelhardt comes in.
Rodrigo has to start, of course, and shifting him into the striker role is a temptation, but it’s impossible to ignore the impact the lad from Liverpool has every time he plays. The team would be otherwise unchanged, for me.
Rasmus Kristensen is under some early pressure, but I wouldn’t want to crush his confidence by chucking in young Cody Drameh against 2021’s Champions League winners. Adam Forshaw is sniffing around, but the existing double pivot has looked good.
Beren’s XI: Meslier; Kristensen, Koch, Llorente, Struijk; Adams, Roca; Aaronson, Rodrigo, Harrison; Gelhardt.
Will Jackson
If Patrick Bamford and Liam Cooper aren’t 100 per cent fit, I wouldn’t be risking them against Chelsea. Jesse Marsch hasn’t officially ruled them out of the contest, with a decision to be made on Saturday.
However, this is the first weekend I’d be making changes to the line-up, with Bamford dropping out and Dan James coming in. Goal-machine Rodrigo looked dangerous in the number nine role last Saturday at St Mary’s and I’m keen to see more of him in that role this weekend.
The Spain international has the potential to latch onto balls put in behind an ageing Chelsea backline and given the form he’s in at the minute, I’d be backing him to convert any opportunity he gets. I’d also move Brenden Aaronson into the middle from the right wing.
Aaronson’s energy and intensity ensure he could be the man to put Jorginho under pressure during the contest and prevent the Italian from pulling the strings, as he did in May when Chelsea last made the trip to West Yorkshire. That means James slots in on the right and I would be tempted to give Luis Sinisterra a sizeable run-out in the second half off the bench, too.
Joe Gelhardt should also have a big role to play on Sunday after recovering from the dead leg that ruled him out against Southampton.
Will’s XI: Meslier; Kristensen, Koch, Llorente, Struijk; Adams, Roca; James, Aaronson, Harrison; Rodrigo.
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