Leeds supporters have stopped talking about relegation for the first time this season. Daniel Farke has picked up the pace of Leeds’ game, and back is the sparkling energy and will to win that Leeds have become known for since the days of Marcelo Bielsa. After the weekend’s win over Wolverhampton, it is West Ham and Tottenham who balance on – and are kept below – the relegation line, not Leeds. On Tuesday, in addition, came what could be a gift package of the greats to write club history.
On Sunday, it’s time for the semi-finals of the FA Cup. After an intense and dramatic game against West Ham in the quarter-finals that had to be decided on penalties, the Leeds players and Farke were able to celebrate their FA Cup semi-final ticket, a feat the club has not achieved in 39 years. Here awaits a gift package in the form of an opponent in free fall.
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The Chelsea players returned from Brighton on Tuesday with a horrendous 3-0 loss. The Athletic journalist James Pearce dryly reported that with the last five games lost – without scoring a single goal – this is the first time in 114 years in Chelsea’s club history. This is the opponent that in-form Leeds now face in the semi-finals.
Where Leeds stand united and back, brimming with confidence, it is a Chelsea in crisis, where the coach lashes out at his own players in total chaos.
“It’s not about playing for me. It’s about playing for the club. It’s about playing for the shirt. It’s about playing to win football matches. I can only comment on what I saw tonight. You can put whatever you want into it – whether they play for me or not. That performance in itself was very worrying…,” Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior told Sky Sports.
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A coach who doesn’t have the football or management to win games. Players who don’t give it their all. A team that doesn’t play as a team. A club without confidence. Leeds face this on Sunday, in what could be a huge gift package for the gang from Elland Road, who intend to continue to write club history in the FA Cup.
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