Javi Gracia has had a full week with his Leeds United squad now and he’ll have learned plenty about his players ahead of Saturday’s clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Of course, the head coach got off to a winning start at Elland Road last weekend, beating Southampton with a line-up he will have been mulling over for some time while he waited for the green light to start work.
He made changes to the starting XI and shape in midweek at Fulham, playing with three in the middle, and while they didn’t get the result, United played well on the night and created plenty of goalscoring opportunities. As such, Gracia has a number of decisions to make ahead of yet another trip to west London.
One of the biggest choices comes up front, with Georginio Rutter staking his claim for a starting spot with his performance at Craven Cottage on Tuesday night. Rutter was unfortunate not to get his first goal in Leeds colours, seeing a first half effort harshly ruled out before striking the frame of the goal with a header.
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Gracia was happy with his performance, but he did mention that he believes the youngster is better when playing alongside a strike partner. That’s a system the head coach has favoured in the past and he could be tempted to go with Rutter and Bamford this weekend against Graham Potter’s side.
However, he must also consider if it’s a suitable formation to play on the road against a team with such talent in the middle of the park. He has spoken about the importance of being aggressive against the Blues but whether that means playing two strikers remains to be seen, particularly as it would likely mean sacrificing a player in the middle.
Weston McKennie enjoyed himself at Fulham after being handed a license to step forward in possession and play in the pocket. He’s expected to play at Stamford Bridge but if Gracia decides against going with two up front, he could be asked to play deeper in order to make room for Brenden Aaronson, who fared relatively well against Southampton.
Wilfried Gnonto is expected on the left and on the right it seems as though there’s a straight choice between Jack Harrison and Crysencio Summerville, assuming Luis Sinisterra isn’t fit, that is. There are fitness question marks at the back, too, with Gracia opting not to provide a team news update in his pre-match press conference.
However, if all is well regarding Max Wober’s shoulder injury, he will be expected to slot into what is starting to become a familiar back four line-up. Wober dislocated his shoulder at Everton a fortnight ago, but he played the full 90 against Southampton before being left out versus Fulham.
It remains to be seen whether he is fit and the same can be said for Pascal Struijk and Liam Cooper, who have been missing for quite some time now.
Predicted line-up: Meslier; Ayling, Koch, Wober, Firpo; McKennie, Adams; Harrison, Aaronson, Gnonto; Bamford
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