Chelsea progressed into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 4-2 victory over Wrexham on Saturday evening but the Blues were far from convincing at the Racecourse Ground
07:00, 09 Mar 2026
Liam Rosenior
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Liam Rosenior ahead of Wrexham vs Chelsea(Image: Peter Powell/AFP)
As Chelsea's disgruntled players walked across the pitch at the Racecourse Ground at half-time on Saturday evening to get to the tunnel, it was a case of the same old story for the Blues.
Too often this season have Chelsea made wholesale changes to their side for a domestic cup match but have then disappointed on the pitch - especially in the first half. See Cardiff City for instance, see Lincoln City, see Charlton Athletic. Now, see Wrexham.
Chelsea ended up getting the job done, requiring extra-time, and as the old adage goes: the result is more important than the performance in the cup. The Blues are into the last eight of the FA Cup after a thrilling, yet concerning, 4-2 win at Wrexham, though these victories over lower league opposition have rarely been convincing for Chelsea. It does not quite feel sustainable.
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Too often have either Liam Rosenior or Enzo Maresca been forced to call upon the big guns. Joao Pedro and Marc Cucurella were both brought on in north Wales on Saturday evening, with the former playing a significant role in getting Chelsea over the line. With a crucial Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain this week, Rosenior would have ideally rested the pair, or brought them on for a small portion of the tie. Instead, they both came on in the second half and played the entirety of extra-time to help the west Londoners progress.
Rosenior made nine changes to the side that beat Aston Villa just 72 hours before the trip to Wrexham. Only Jorrel Hato and Alejandro Garnacho kept their place in the side and in the first 45 minutes especially, Chelsea played like a team with no rhythm.
Rosenior started with a back-three, and two of the central defenders in Benoit Badiashile and Tosin Adarabioyo struggled immensely. They were both at the scene of the crime for Wrexham's opening goal of the game, a goal where Robert Sanchez, too, did not cover himself in glory.
It has been a recurring theme this season that Tosin and Badiashile play in matches where the head coach, whether it be Rosenior or Maresca previously, made lots of changes and both of them have struggled to take their opportunities.
Liam Delap did well for Chelsea's first goal, using his strength to hold up the ball, roll his man, and set up the chance. Apart from that, though, Delap was once again feeding off scraps and struggled to get involved in the game.
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Those three players, who cost Chelsea a combined transfer fee of £65million, in particular face a crucial end to the season. While none of them are guaranteed starters, far from it in fact, they need to grasp every opportunity they are given with the summer transfer window on the horizon.
You can give some leeway to Delap, who is still in his debut season at Stamford Bridge. As for Tosin and Badiashile, though, they have been at the club for a while now, yet their impressive performances have been few and far between.
If Chelsea want to be serious operators, the type of team to compete on all four fronts, they need to improve their squad depth.