"Ruining my day once again" "God help us" - Chelsea fans furious as 22-year-old makes his first start of the season against Leeds

Chelsea fans are bemused by Thomas Tuchel's selection of Conor Gallagher for the Blues' clash with Leeds United on August 21.

The young English midfielder excelled whilst on loan at Crystal Palace last season, making 39 appearances, scoring eight goals and contributing five assists.

He returned to Stamford Bridge this summer following the expiration of his loan but faces huge competition to break into Tuchel's current side.

Gallagher has appeared in both of Chelsea's opening two games of the season but has just five minutes of action to his name.

However, Tuchel is willing to give the Englishman an opportunity against Leeds, with the midfielder starting alongside Jorginho in the middle of the park.

Meanwhile, Edouard Mendy starts in goal with Thiago Silva, Kalidou Koulibaly and Reece James in the back three.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek continues his surprise role at right-wing back whilst new-signing Marc Cucurella is at left wing-back.

Raheem Sterling starts up top with Mason Mount and Kai Havertz joining him on the wide flanks.

But it is Tuchel's decision to hand Gallagher a start that seems to have drawn the ire of some of the Stamford Bridge faithful.

Here are some reactions from Twitter to the news that the English midfielder starts against Leeds:

Chelsea looking to get back to winning ways

Chelsea suffered a dramatic late equalizer against Tottenham last time out which saw a tense affair end in a 2-2 draw.

The Blues perhaps deserved all three points having put in an impressive performance with new signings Cucurella, Sterling and Koulibaly shining.

Tuchel will be on the touchline for the game at Elland Road despite having been charged by the FA for his fiery bust-up with Antonio Conte last weekend.

The German tactician will want his Stamford Bridge side to get back to winning ways and stake their claim for a top four finish or even a potential title challenge.

It is not beyond the current Chelsea side to battle for the title given they have added experienced duo Sterling and Koulibaly to their squad.

The pair have won titles previously at Manchester City and Napoli and have bedded into an already exciting Blues' side seamlessly.

Meanwhile, Tuchel will be wanting his attackers to be more deadly in front of goal having spurned numerous chances against Spurs.

A win for the west London side takes them onto level points with Tottenham, who sit second in the league.

The season is just getting started but there is no time for Tuchel's men to rest on their laurels.

About the author

Matthew is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who has been covering news, rumors and match reports for close to 3 years. Learning creative writing from University of Essex, he combined his skills and passion for football take up writing for the sport professionally.

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A Manchester United fan since childhood, Matthew admired Sir Alex Ferguson for his loyalty and brave coaching style. His favorite footballer is Thierry Henry, believing the Frenchman to be uniquely talented and charismatic. An ardent Three Lions fan, England's penalty shootout win over Colombia in 2018 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment of all time, and he believes that Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe will have a Ballon d’Or duopoly after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

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