Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel looks ahead to his sides' clash with Leeds United, with the German expecting a 'high intensity' battle with the Northern side.
Tuchel's confidence in his side is strong, despite the controversial and heart-breaking ending to their clash with Tottenham where the Blues conceded a last minute equaliser to Spurs' Harry Kane following Cristian Romero's hair-pulling of Marc Cucurella.
"I was impressed with how we played [against Tottenham]. Not surprised but impressed.
"We talked about it many times that it's a bit hard to have a clear view on where we are in this period of time.
"I felt that Tottenham were well prepared. It was impressive to see us perform like this over 95 or 96 minutes".
Tuchel is looking to emulate this impressive performance again this Sunday in hopes of remaining unbeaten so far this season.
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Chelsea's Injury Setbacks
The start of the season is never the ideal time for numerous injuries. Chelsea however have had to begin the season with midfield casulties, including N'Golo Kante.
"We're talking about weeks", notes Tuchel on the French World Cup winning midfielder, "which is not good news. We're disappointed and sad because N'Golo was super fit"
As well as Kante, Tuchel provided an update on Matei Kovicic, who is "still out with a knee problem".
Outside of their midfield struggles, Chelsea have been bolstered by the return of successful Southampton loanee Armando Broja. After scoring nine goals for the Saints last season, may tipped the Albanian to feature often for Chelsea this season. However, Broja's injury looks to delay any first team action.
"the same for Armando, He's out for some days. He cannot come with us to Leeds".
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VAR Controversy
Following the controversy of the Marc Cucurella hair-pull by Cristian Romero in Chelsea's feisty match against Tottenham last Sunday, Tuchel comments on VAR referee Mike Dean after he publicly admitted the incident should have resulted in a red card.
"It cannot add to my frustration" Tuchel joked.
"Hopefully I'm not too honest, but if the mistake is that big and that obvious, what is the point of not admitting when the whole world sees it.
"I struggle a little bit to be fully impressed by the statement. It was so clear and obvious that I still cannot understand how a referee can not make the decision that was the right decision".
Tuchel's frustration after the match was one of the stories of the match, with both managers being involved in altercations throughout the match.
The intense handshake between him and Tottenham boss Antonio Conte summed up the atmosphere of the match, which resulted the pair being sent off at full time and receiving substantial fines for breaching FA regulations.
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Chelsea's Transfer Latest
So far this transfer window, Chelsea have signed the likes of Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibali and Marc Cucurella to bolster their squad ahead of a long season for the West London club.
However, the Chelsea boss is very aware of the amount of fixtures his side will face and desires as much quality depth as the market will allow.
"I believe we can compete with this group" notes Tuchel. "It's one thing to compete once a week and it's another to compete 60 times a year and three times a week.
"You need to have players who challenge for their place and challenge for their minutes. It does not come down only to tactics and team spirit, it's also about the depth in the squad and the challenge"
Chelsea have been linked with ex-Arsenal and current Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with the pair having worked together during their shared time at Borussia Dortmund.
Chelsea have also recently signed highly-rated Inter Milan youth prospect Cesare Casadei, with Tuchel stating that the club want to "give him time to learn the language, learn Chelsea, learn how we train and behave here on a daily basis".
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Tuchel on Leeds Clash
Chelsea face Leeds United away on Sunday. Last time Chelsea made the journey to Elland Road, they comfortably saw off Jesse Marsch's side.
Tuchel is looking for the same level of quality and intensity from his side this weekend in order to recover from the dropped points against Tottenham last Sunday.
"I expect a high intensity game, a high pressing team, and an emotional stadium.
"We had a fantastic game last season at Elland Road, we were very dominant and effective in front of goal.
"There was an early red card that played into our hands but still, we were very impressive in our performance".