Wrexham 2-4 Chelsea: Liam Rosenior justifies team-selection risks despite FA Cup scare

Head coach Liam Rosenior has claimed that rotating his Chelsea squad for Saturday’s FA Cup tie with Wrexham was ‘a threat price taking’.

With Paris Saint-Germain to return on Wednesday, Rosenior made the choice to relaxation 5 doubtless starters in France and make a complete of 9 modifications to his beginning lineup.

When Chelsea discovered themselves 1-0 and 2-1 all the way down to the Championship outfit, the Englishman confronted the chance of criticism for his crew choice.

As a substitute, a 4-2 victory after additional time on the Racecourse Floor proved sufficient to ebook Chelsea’s place within the quarter-finals of the competitors.

Talking at a press convention after the sport, Rosenior acknowledged that he had taken a threat by handing minutes to so a lot of his backup squad members.

Chelsea reply virtually INSTANTLY in opposition to Wrexham ⏱️

Josh Acheampong makes it 2-2… some sport!

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— Soccer on TNT Sports activities (@footballontnt) March 7, 2026

Rosenior speaks on Chelsea rotation

However, Rosenior talked up the significance of the likes of Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo getting minutes of their legs after a chronic interval on the sidelines.

He advised reporters: “That is the chance that you just take. We’re going right into a interval of video games the place, for instance, Romeo Lavia could be actually essential as a result of he has to play minutes. We’ve got to get him to hurry.

“Dario Essugo, we’ve to offer him the time on the pitch. It is not nearly your first 11 or your first 12 gamers to get us to the place we need to be.

“The one method that our gamers and our squad are going to assist us to realize what I feel is feasible is for them to be sharp and prepared.

“That is a threat that you just take by rotating, however it’s additionally the belief I’ve within the group to verify we win video games and get the squad in the very best form.”

An unmarked Alejandro Garnacho smacks the ball into the again of the web to offer Chelsea the lead in extra-time ?

10-man Wrexham are undone.

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Why Rosenior deserves reward for crew choice

Lavia had not began a sport since November 5, whereas Essugo was incomes his first senior minutes of the season after a number of harm setbacks.

Nonetheless, resting the likes of Wesley Fofana, Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer additionally felt like requirements when contemplating the context of the season and final summer time’s Membership World Cup marketing campaign.

In the meantime, gamers corresponding to Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Josh Acheampong and Marc Guiu have all been wanting sport time of late.

Regardless of these components, it was nonetheless a daring choice from Rosenior to take the method of naming an under-cooked facet when he risked criticism forward of one of many greatest matches of the season.

As he acknowledged, there have been components of luck to Chelsea progressing previous Wrexham, however he now has a lot of gamers feeling extra concerned than they might have carried out if he had prioritised the outcome over participant sharpness.