Chelsea vs. Leeds: BlueCo hit lowest ebb yet before "fierce" FA Cup semi-final

Ahead of Sunday's FA Cup semi-final between Chelsea and Leeds United, hear what the Sports Mole expert team have to say on the Wembley encounter.

Matt Law, Football Editor: 'Chelsea players had no respect for Liam Rosenior'

I know it is not mathematically sorted, but I think the game against Brighton the other night was the final straw. Liam Rosenior had been on the ropes for a while.

There was never anything about that appointment that seemed right at any point. He seems like a decent fella, but you saw the reaction of the players towards him.

There were a few side-eye moments, like the [Alejandro] Garnacho one when he received a note from the touchline against PSG during the 8-2 aggregate defeat, and the reaction from the players towards Rosenior told its own story.

You could just tell there was no respect, and in any walk of life, if you haven't got that respect for the people you are working for, it is just never going to work.

It was obvious that change was going to happen after that Brighton game, which was so unbelievably poor in every aspect of football you could ever imagine in terms of the basics.

The FA Cup has been Chelsea's saving grace recently. The last two wins have been in the FA Cup, so there is still the chance of a trophy. This is the game I am really looking forward to.

Chelsea vs Leeds is not what you would consider to be a big rivalry from a geographical point of view, but it has been a big game throughout the years. The 1970 FA Cup final was a little bit before my time, but those two games went to a replay.

My granddad used to talk about the matches between the two sides as really fierce affairs, with players on both sides who loved the challenge. The sets of fans don't really like each other, do they? So it is going to be a big game.

Leeds come into it in good form in the Premier League and are sitting pretty. They have a chance to go to the cup final, and I am really looking forward to this one. I think it will be a really good game.

Ben Knapton, Site Coordinator: "Leeds fans will bring the party to Wembley"

Leeds are going to be so up for this FA Cup semi-final, given their situation in the Premier League. I know it is not confirmed that they are staying up, but it is just a couple more positive results and they are home and hosed.

Especially after the respectable draw against Bournemouth on Wednesday night, this is an absolutely monumental game for Leeds and for Chelsea as well.

On the back of the Rosenior farce, there are reports he could be owed up to £24m in compensation, having been given a contract until 2032. The BlueCo strategy has already been lambasted, but it has now hit an even lower ebb for Chelsea.

There is an absolute mess going on at Stamford Bridge. At Elland Road, though, the vibe seems really positive right now. Imagine the travelling fans, all the way from the journey down to when they get to Wembley Way.

It is going to be a sea of Leeds white, a sea of Leeds flags. The Leeds fans are going to bring the party to Wembley.

Oliver Thomas, Senior Reporter: "Chelsea must re-evaluate whole strategy"

I don't think the strategy they are currently pursuing is right at all. The squad is lacking experience, both on the pitch and off the pitch.

The managers they tend to employ are younger, up-and-coming managers. Rosenior is 41, and Maresca was fairly young when he was there. They have a very young squad and they like to sign young players in the hope of developing them and maybe selling them on for profit.

But the fans want Chelsea, who have had so much success over the years, to continue that. Having success with just young players is not enough.

Successful squads thrive with experience, and I think this Chelsea squad is really lacking it at the moment. They really need to reevaluate this whole strategy.

John Terry has come out recently and questioned what is going on at the club and where it is heading. He is suggesting whether a top-level manager would actually want to go and join Chelsea.

If the elite managers don't want to go to Chelsea and they can only continue to employ younger managers with less experience at the highest level, you just wonder where Chelsea can go. It would be interesting to see what happens to some of these players.

Enzo Fernandez has been in the headlines with rumours of moves to Roma and Real Madrid, and it would be interesting to see whether some of these players have had enough of the Chelsea project and want to leave, especially if they fail to qualify for Europe next season.