2 days ago
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Our Chelsea writers choose the line-ups they would pick if they were in Liam Rosenior's shoes for this weekend's FA Cup quarter-final tie against League One side Port Vale
There has been so much talk surrounding Chelsea over the last two weeks, with Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez's comments causing quite the stir. For Liam Rosenior, though, his focus will be on the Blues' FA Cup quarter-final tie with Port Vale on Saturday evening.
The FA Cup is Chelsea's only hope of silverware this season and a trip to Wembley is 90 minutes away. Not only is a semi-final on the horizon, but it is also the perfect chance for the Blues to end a four-match losing streak against League One's bottom side.
It will be intriguing to see how Rosenior approaches the quarter-final tie in terms of his team selection, especially in the first game after an international break. With that being said, Bobby Vincent and Jake Stokes take you through what they would do:
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Bobby Vincent
There might be a temptation to throw Teddy Sharman-Lowe in given Filip Jorgensen's injury, but I think this could be the ideal time for Robert Sanchez to regain some confidence in goal. I would then go for a defence of Josh Acheampong, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile and Jorrel Hato.
Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo have both spent the last couple of weeks working on their fitness at Cobham, so they should start in the centre, allowing Moises Caicedo and Fernandez a rest. Alejandro Garnacho, given Chelsea's lack of options in attack, should start on the right-hand side. Hear me out...
That would allow Estevao Willian to be used in the No.10 role, and Cole Palmer would then be rested. Jesse Derry could then make his full debut on the left-hand side, and Pedro Neto would then be rested. Liam Delap as the No.9, with Joao Pedro not even in the squad – he should be nowhere near this cup tie, in my opinion.
Bobby's XI: Sanchez; Acheampong, Fofana, Badiashile, Hato; Lavia, Essugo; Garnacho, Estevao, Derry; Delap
Jake Stokes
Although Chelsea must return to winning ways this weekend, Rosenior mustn't get carried away with his team selection. With all due respect to Port Vale, the Blues have no excuse not to seal a place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, regardless of the names, within reason of course, on the team sheet.Sanchez should play between the sticks, with Acheampong, Mamadou Sarr, Fofana and Hato featuring in a new-look backline. Only the latter reported for international duty, and he played no more than a quarter of an hour on home soil, so he and the others should be refreshed, recharged and ready to go.In the middle of the park, Essugo and Lavia should start in the pivot. They've had enough time to build their match fitness, and, ultimately, Chelsea need to keep Caicedo, Fernandez, and Andrey Santos fresh for next weekend's clash against Manchester City.The Blues could end up fielding a frontline of Estevao, Palmer, and Garnacho, unless Jamie Gittens is suddenly in a position to play. A start for Derry or Ryan Kavuma-McQueen might be a step too far with Chelsea in desperate need of a win, but it'd be good to see at least one of them get half an hour off the bench.Up top, Delap. The Blues striker has struggled to impress this season, but he can still play a key role during the end-of-season run-in. All he needs is a goal and the floodgates could open. He'll also be well aware that Danny Welbeck is the only other somewhat in-form English No.9, bar Harry Kane, meaning a place in Thomas Tuchel's squad is still up for grabs...
Jake's XI: Sanchez; Acheampong, Sarr, Badiashile, Hato; Essugo, Lavia; Estevao, Palmer, Garnacho; Delap
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