Chelsea could face a stronger Leeds United team than in recent weeks as Marcelo Bielsa provided an update on the fitness of key midfielder Kalvin Phillips. In his pre-match press conference on Thursday as reported by Leeds Live, Bielsa confirmed that Phillips is fine.
Marcelo Bielsa said “They are both good”
On injuries to Pablo Hernandez and Pascal Struijk,
Marcelo Bielsa said “No, neither will be able to play. The response I must give is that the progress of his evolution will show us when Pascal Struijk can return to competition. Given the injury Pascal has, it is not a serious injury because various of our players, including himself, have played with this injury. This is why I say this is not serious. While he is not needed urgently, I prefer that he has more time to recover completely and definitely.”
On Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea,
Marcelo Bielsa said “They are in a positive dynamic in terms of results and they have a confidence in how they manage the ball.”
Chelsea are yet to lose under Tuchel and have moved into pole position for a top-four finish. Their win over Everton on Monday moved them about West Ham and four points clear of the Toffees. They are also three and four points behind Leicester City and Manchester United respectively, both of which should be considered catchable given their recent runs in comparison to Chelsea’s improvement. West Ham, Everton, and Tottenham Hotspur all have a game in hand on Chelsea. West Ham would overtake Chelsea with a win, while Everton and Spurs could close to within one and two points respectively. Nevertheless, Chelsea face bottom-half teams in their next four matches. They will be eager to put some distance between themselves as those around them as the fight for a top-four finish heats up, starting with Saturday’s trip to Leeds.
Phillips is integral to Bielsa’s system at Leeds, and the Yorkshire club have struggled to replace him at the base of their midfield. Phillips plays like a quarterback, spraying passes around the park. With no one else in the squad capable of replicating this presence, Leeds have struggled in his absence, losing three of the four games he recently missed with a calf injury. Phillips did return for Leeds’ 2-0 defeat to West Ham on Monday night, playing the full 90 minutes, but after several weeks on the sidelines, it was unsure how he would recover.
