Chelsea: FA Cup raises usual questions about rotation, but a few more at GK

Chelsea face the Championship’s 12th place team in the FA Cup on Saturday. That doesn’t provide the insight it used to about what the Blues’ XI will look like.

Chelsea’s youngest players are such an integral part of the side that there’s really no reason to look forward to domestic cup ties as a chance to see the youth. On the other end of the scale, Chelsea’s oldest players are so far from the pitch that games like this are the only glimmer of hope they have of picking up any minutes. That was the case for Pedro in the first round against Nottingham Forest, but not so for Olivier Giroud who watched all 90 minutes from the substitutes’ bench, and that was a step-up from his usual perch surrounded by injured players in the “not in the matchday squad” section.

Then there’s the ongoing mystery about what the word “rotation” means to Frank Lampard. As my colleague Varun talked about on Wednesday, Lampard seems opposed to rotating every position except the one that should be rotated the least: centrebacks.

With one week left in the transfer window, this game is probably too late and too small an affair to put anyone except for the youngest players in the shop window. Inter Milan are not going to raise their offer for Olivier Giroud based on what he does against Hull City.

But the most promising destinations for the young Blues are teams in England, and they will not want an incoming loanee to be cup-tied. Tariq Lamptey already is after coming on as a sub against Nottingham Forest, but Ian Maatsen, Billy Gilmour and Tino Anjorin – three players who were involved in Chelsea’s Carabao Cup games – are not.

The one position where Frank Lampard is almost sure to rotate carries an extra level of intrigue, if Lampard chooses to go that route.

Willy Caballero has played in all three of Chelsea’s domestic cup games, and not a minute in the other competitions. That stark delineation makes him the most certain of anyone in a predicted XI to face Hull (watch Travis go in a different direction with his tomorrow).

But if Lampard wants to send a message to Kepa Arrizbalaga, he would start Jamie Cumming.

Caballero has never been a challenger to Kepa Arrizabalaga for the regular XI, and no one ever thought he would be this season. Not Caballero, not Arrizabalaga, not any of us. Caballero playing the domestic cups is a sign of things being 100% as they should be.

If Cumming starts against Hull City – a relatively difficult opponent by early-round FA Cup standards – things are or may be afoot. Letting Cumming test himself against Championship side could tell Arrizabalaga that the order of things is not as stable as it once was. Is Lampard just giving Cumming another step-up in his professional development and a reward for being the unrewarded third goalkeeper, or is this a test to see if Cumming might be ready for a Premier League start if it comes to that with Chelsea’s No. 1? If Lampard is willing to take away one of the rare opportunities promised to Caballero, what else would he be willing to take away from a different goalkeeper? Why would he take something away from Caballero if not as part of a bigger plan?

For anyone who thinks the lack of even a hint of competition is making Arrizabalaga a bit complacent in his training and development, this is quite a possibility.

Or Lampard will go ahead and start Arrizabalaga over Caballero. He could hope a lower-tier opponent will let Arrizabalaga build confidence, and if the FA Cup is any higher in the priority list than it was a few weeks ago, then Lampard may want his No. 1 backing up something close to his regular XI.

What do you think? Lots of rotation, minimal rotation, or the usual rotation which is really not rotation at all? Let us know with your predictions for the goalkeeper in the comments below!