Calum McFarlane could raise eyebrows with his team selection when Chelsea face Leeds United in the FA Cup semi-final this weekend.
Calum McFarlane could make as many as eight changes to the Chelsea starting lineup at the weekend. Liam Rosenior was sacked following the humiliating defeat to Brighton at the Amex Stadium on Tuesday night, leaving the 40-year-old in charge – again – on an interim basis.
McFarlane first took charge of the the Blues at the start of the year, stepping up when Enzo Maresca stood down. Then, following the arrival of Rosenior, he was promoted from under-21 head coach to first-team coach, forming part of a new-look backroom staff, having impressed in the hot seat.
McFarlane has been given the reins on an interim basis once more, and he could surprise a few with his team selection. If he plans to be as ruthless as his predecessor, who threatened to make seven to eight changes to the starting lineup, Chelsea could throw Leeds United a curveball in the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday afternoon.
Unafraid of losing the dressing room, Rosenior insisted that those who let the side down against Brighton will be axed. Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, the former Blues boss fired from the hip.
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“We need to look in the mirror; I need to look in the mirror,” said Rosenior. “But I can’t keep coming out here and defending some of the things we’re seeing. The general attitude, spirit, determination was lacking apart from maybe three or four of the XI.
“That is nowhere near enough for this club. I can’t come out and lie. I’ll tell the truth. That was an unacceptable performance in every area.”
So, with that being said, football.london have picked the starting lineup to face Leeds this weekend.
Sanchez survives the mass exodus
Robert Sanchez should survive the mass exodus as he looks to rebuild his confidence. Up until the end of March this year, the 28-year-old shot-stopper had quietly become a key player for Chelsea.
Barring the red card during the defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford in September and the mistake during the defeat to Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in January, he had grown to become a top goalkeeper.
Of course, there was room for improvement, but he had made great progress under Enzo Maresca. At one stage in the season, the Spaniard had a shot at winning the Premier League golden glove!
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Only Hato and Cucurella remain at the back
Trevoh Chalobah and Wesley Fofana grew to become a sturdy partnership when Maresca was in charge, but they massively disappointed under Rosenior. They didn’t cover themselves in glory on Tuesday night either, so they could very easily make way in the FA Cup semi-final.
McFarlane could replace them with Mamadou Sarr and Josh Acheampong, who were both starved of minutes under Rosenior They would join Jorrel Hato and Marc Cucurella in the backline, who have both proven to be reliable options.
Caicedo continues captain duties
If McFarlane makes as many changes as Rosenior planned to, one of Moises Caicedo or Enzo Fernandez could be dropped. Although the latter recently got a slap on the wrist for casting doubt over his future at Stamford Bridge, he scored a crucial equaliser in the interim boss’ game in charge at the Etihad Stadium.
Chelsea field entirely new frontline
As for the frontline, every forward that started for Chelsea on Tuesday night could be axed. McFarlane will hope to have Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro available for selection again, leaving vacancies on the left and right wing.
With Estevao Willian and Jamie Gittens nursing injuries, and Alejandro Garnacho failing to impress again off the bench, the Blues could start Jesse Derry and Ryan Kavuma-McQueen. Unless the interim Chelsea boss trials a back-five, just like Rosenior did on the south coast, he’ll be short on wide players this weekend.
The alternative Chelsea XI in full
Even if McFarlane were to make seven changes to the starting lineup rather than eight, the alternative starting lineup could look something like this:
Robert Sanchez; Marc Cucurella, Jorrel Hato, Mamadou Sarr, Josh Acheampong; Moises Caicedo, Andrey Santos; Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, Jesse Derry; Joao Pedro.
