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LEEDS REALITY CHECK: CHELSEA DEFENSE EXPOSED BY 3-5-2 FORMATION

With young defenders shining on loan, Chelsea faces a decision on selling Tosin next summer to make room and profit, despite Maresca's current selections.

Leeds Reality Check: Chelsea Defense Exposed by 3-5-2 Formation
Tosin Problem? Chelsea Loss Fuels Debate on Defender's Future

After a big 3-0 win over Barcelona and a good 1-1 draw with Arsenal, Chelsea got a reality check Wednesday night.

They lost 3-1 to Leeds United, who are trying to avoid being relegated. Now, Chelsea is in fourth place in the Premier League, only three points ahead of Everton in 10th.

Enzo Maresca’s team had trouble getting through Leeds' defence, and their defenders, Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Benoit Badiashile, were really slow at moving the ball in the first half.

It got a bit better when Malo Gusto replaced Badiashile, and Pedro Neto came in for Estevao Willian at halftime, but Chelsea still couldn't make many good scoring chances.

Cole Palmer, who came off the bench, shot one wide, but Chelsea created less than 1 xG (expected goals), while Leeds had a huge 2.79.

Daniel Farke used a 3-5-2 formation, which did well against Manchester City on Saturday. The two forwards, Lucas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, gave Chelsea's defence a lot of trouble.

Jaka Bijol scored first for Leeds with a header in the sixth minute. Not long before halftime, Ao Tanaka made it 2-0 after Tosin passed poorly and Enzo Fernandez couldn't control the ball.

Neto scored for Chelsea after Jamie Gittens played well on the wing, but a mix-up in Chelsea's defence sealed the game in the 72nd minute.

After winning the ball back from Gabriel Gudmundsson, Gusto passed to Fernandez and then to Tosin. But Tosin's first touch was bad, and Noah Okafor stole the ball and passed to Calvert-Lewin, who scored into an empty net.

Chelsea might have a problem with transfers in 2026.

Tosin has played 80 minutes or more in nine games this season, and Chelsea has won 44% of those games. But in the 12 games where he hasn't played as much, their win rate is 67%.

Also, Tosin usually plays against weaker teams. He did start against Bayern Munich, but not against Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona, or Arsenal.

Tosin isn't the only reason Chelsea hasn't been doing great when he plays, but he's not as good as Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah. Fans think Josh Acheampong should start instead of Tosin because he's been playing well this season.

Maresca still thinks Tosin is important to the team, but with Mamadou Sarr and Aaron Anselmino doing well on loan, Chelsea might have a tough decision to make next summer about transfers.

Tosin will be 29 next September, and Chelsea might start to replace him soon. Since they signed him without paying a transfer fee, they could sell him for a low price next summer and still make a profit.

But Maresca keeps picking Tosin over Acheampong against weaker teams, which means he wants to keep him. So, Chelsea will face a big decision about Tosin next summer, especially since Dortmund wants to keep Anselmino after his loan ends.

The young player from Argentina has been doing great at Dortmund, and it might be smart for Chelsea to sell Tosin and bring Anselmino into the team.

Whether that happens depends on whether the team thinks Tosin is good enough for a team that wants to win titles.

WHY WAS COLE PALMER SUBBED? THE REAL REASON BEHIND THE STAMFORD BRIDGE BOOS

Fans booed as Cole Palmer was subbed in Chelsea's draw with Bournemouth. Learn why Maresca was absent and what’s next for the Blues.

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Managing Cole Palmer’s return

After Chelsea's 2-2 tie with Bournemouth, assistant coach Willy Caballero defended the choice to sub off Cole Palmer, even though fans at Stamford Bridge were angry about Enzo Maresca's move.

Fans booed, yelling, You don't know what you're doing! when Palmer—who'd been one of the team's better players—was taken out in the 63rd minute. The home team was trying to score and break their bad Premier League streak at the time.

Chelsea has only won one of their last seven league games. Caballero said afterward that head coach Enzo Maresca, who wasn't there for the post-game interviews due to illness, is still a role model for everyone at the club.

Still, the pressure is on the coach after yet another result slipped away. Chelsea has now lost 13 points at home from winning positions.

The mood got especially sour when Palmer, who just came back from an injury, was taken off in the second half.

Every fan wants the best players on the field, Caballero said. We do, too. But Cole is coming back from a long injury. So we have to figure out the best substitutions to win the game while also keeping our players healthy. We need them for the entire season.

Caballero said about Maresca's absence, "He hasn't been feeling well for the past two days." He had a fever two days ago. He did the last two practices because he wanted to get the team ready. But after the game, he went to the locker room and asked me to fill in because he wasn't feeling well.

He's handling it well and is very professional. He puts in a lot of hours every day, even when he wasn't feeling well the last two days. He loves to train and coach. He's a role model for me and the rest of the staff.

Bournemouth took the lead after six minutes when David Brooks scored on his second try after Robert Sanchez made a save. Then, Palmer scored a penalty to tie the game for Chelsea.

Next, Enzo Fernandez put the home team ahead, but the Blues couldn't hold on to their lead again. Justin Kluivert tied the score before halftime after Chelsea failed to handle a long throw-in from Antoine Semenyo.

There's been a lot of talk that this would be Semenyo's last game for Bournemouth before he moves to Manchester City soon. Before leaving the field, he seemed to say goodbye to the fans who had traveled to see the game.

Still, head coach Andoni Iraola was sure he'd play against Arsenal on Saturday.

It's not his last game here with us, he said. I can't say for sure, but I think he'll play.

He needs to rest. We've played two tough games in three days. We have Arsenal at home, so we're getting ready for another one, a tough game against the leaders. He's going to be important for us.

BREAKING: ENZO MARESCA SKIPS MEDIA AS CHELSEA CRISIS DEEPENS! GET THE HEALTH UPDATE

Enzo Maresca missed the post-match media due to a fever after Chelsea's 2-2 draw. Willy Caballero provides an urgent update on his health.

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Chelsea's winless run continues as Maresca falls ill

Enzo Maresca skipped media interviews after Chelsea's 2-2 tie with Bournemouth because he was sick.

The Blues coach was supposed to chat after his team snagged a point against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.

But right before he was about to talk about the game, news dropped that Maresca wasn't feeling good.

So, his assistant, Willy Caballero, stepped in to handle things in west London.

Caballero shared an update on Maresca: He's been under the weather for a couple of days, Caballero said. He had a fever two days ago.

After the game, he went to the locker room and asked me to fill in for him since he wasn't feeling well.

Caballero was asked if he'd be in charge against Manchester City on Sunday, like he was against Villa during Maresca's suspension.

"I'm not sure," he said. I just want Enzo to get better. I think he'll be fine in a day or two.

The draw with Bournemouth means Chelsea has only won one of their last seven Premier League games.

Fans were clearly annoyed during the second half when Cole Palmer was subbed out for Joao Pedro.

Palmer just got back to playing regularly after a groin injury, but some Chelsea fans wondered why he was taken out.

About the boos, Caballero said, "Of course, every fan wants their best players on the field, and so do we."

But Cole is coming off a long injury, so we have to figure out the right subs for the game and also look out for our players since we didn't have him for a while.

Chelsea and Bournemouth had a boring 0-0 draw in their previous match earlier in the month.

But the game at Stamford Bridge was totally different, with Bournemouth taking the lead early on through David Brooks.

Palmer leveled the score with a penalty, and then Enzo Fernandez blasted a shot into the top corner to put Chelsea ahead.

But Chelsea failed to defend a long throw for the second time, allowing Justin Kluivert to score for Bournemouth.

After playing City, Chelsea will face their west London rivals Fulham before an FA Cup game away against Charlton Athletic.

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