Liam Rosenior reflected on his squad rotation policy as **Chelsea**claimed a 4-2 win over Wrexham.
The Blues have now banked a spot in the **FA Cup**quarter-final, but it was not a simple task. The **Championship**outfit held their visitors to a 2-2 scoreline by the end of 90 minutes, and the resistance only begun to wane with a red card just before extra time. Alejandro Garnacho and Joao Pedro then put the ball into the back of the net when the guests had the additional man to earn the triumph.
Rosenior had replaced nine of the players he started in a 4-1 victory over Aston Villa in the Premier League in midweek. Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez all absent from the squad, Reece James was an unused substitute, while Marc Cucurella and Joao Pedro came off the bench.
“That's the risk that you take.
"We are going into a period of games where, for example, Romeo Lavia can be important because he has to play minutes. We have to get him up to speed. Dario Essugo has to [get] him time on the pitch.
"[Lavia] is a top player, but you can't expect perfection from a player who's been out for four months.
"It's not just about your first 11 or your first 12 players to get us to where we want to be. The only way our players and our squad are going to help us achieve what I think is possible is for them to be sharp and ready.
"I would say it's not guaranteed that if you start your first 11, these games will come easier. And also the amount of games my squad have had in the last 18 months is the biggest in the world. So at some point I have to trust the group. They repaid my trust with the result tonight."