Sport

In-form Leeds United could be Chelsea’s worst nightmare in season-defining FA Cup semi final

By Graham Ruthven

The magic of the cup has well and truly enchanted Leeds United this season. Their run has included wins over Derby County, Birmingham City, Norwich City and West Ham with Daniel Farke’s side looking forward to taking on Chelsea at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals this weekend.

Chelsea are firm favourites to make the competition’s final, but anyone who has watched Liam Rosenior’s side recently knows their vulnerability. On top of this, Leeds are in excellent form, winning their last three matches in all competitions. They could cause the Stamford Bridge outfit all sorts of problems.

Leeds’ upturn in form can be traced back to half time of a match against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in late-November when Farke made a fundamental change to his system. The German shifted to a 3-4-2-1 formation and Leeds haven’t looked back from that moment.

This gave Leeds a more solid foundation, allowing them to collapse into a back five against the ball and push Gabriel Gudmundsson and Jayden Bogle into forward areas when the opportunity arises. This toggle has completely changed the dynamic of Leeds United as a team on the pitch.

With options either side of him, Anthon Stach has been emboldened as Leeds’ creator-in-chief in the centre of the pitch. No Leeds player has created more chances in the Premier League this season than the German who has flourished over the last few months. His invention has been allowed to come to the fore.

Then there’s Brenden Aaronson and Noah Okafor as roaming number 10s with the freedom to take up a wide starting position. The pair embody the energy and intensity of Farke’s approach with Okafor in excellent scoring form having netted three times in the previous two wins over Manchester United and Wolves.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been resurgent as well, reaching double figures in the Premier League and reviving his chances of earning a place in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for this summer’s World Cup. The 29-year-old is finally performing at the levels witnessed earlier in his career.

Chelsea, on the other hand, are desperately lacking any sort of chemistry at the moment. Rosenior is struggling to make any sort of impression on a team that has lost six of their last seven games in all competitions including Saturday’s defeat to Manchester United. There’s not a lot for Leeds to be fearful about.

While Leeds aren’t officially safe from relegation, it would take a huge swing for the Elland Road side to be dragged into the bottom three from this point. Indeed, Leeds are now eight points above Tottenham Hotspur and the relegation zone after recent wins over Manchester United and Wolves.

This means Farke and his players can enjoy this weekend’s FA Cup semi-final for what it is. The Leeds manager won’t need to rest any of his players to save them for upcoming relegation six-pointers. There won’t be any distractions from the task of going one step further to reach the final.

Leeds have won the FA Cup just once before in their history and that was all the way back in 1972. The Elland Road outfit should take inspiration from how Crystal Palace upset the odds to triumph in the competition last season with Leeds just one game away from meeting Manchester City or Southampton in the final.

Farke’s quick transition and physical approach could expose some of Chelsea’s weaknesses. They could be the Blues’ worst nightmare in a season-defining encounter. What looked like being a difficult season fighting relegation back to the Championship could now be an historic one for Leeds United.