Thomas Tuchel's Pulisic gamble fails to pay off as Chelsea slump to Leeds stalemate

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 Chelsea were held to a 0-0 draw away at Leeds in Saturday's early Premier League kick-off, with Thomas Tuchel's tactical tweak failing to inspire them to another victory

Chelsea have lost ground in the race for top four after being held to a frustrating 0-0 draw away at Leeds - in which Thomas Tuchel’s tactical gamble failed to pay off.

Tuchel surprised many with his team selection at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon, first by deploying Kai Havertz as a false nine and then by seemingly switching from his preferred 3-4-2-1 formation to a 4-3-3.


There was initially some confusion around Christian Pulisic’s role in the side before kick-off, with BT Sport pundits Rio Ferdinand and Joe Cole suggesting he would actually be operating as a right wing-back.

But the American instead appeared to play as a right winger against Leeds, positioned just in front of captain Cesar Azpilicueta, who took up a wider position than he has become accustomed to of late at right-back.

While he has restored a sense of defensive order and conjured up some terrific results since taking charge, one minor gripe with Tuchel’s start as Chelsea head coach has been from an offensive point of view.

They are yet to score more than two goals in a game under his tutelage, but early on at Elland Road his tactical tweak looked to have injected some much needed energy and invention in the final third.

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