Chelsea: Four things to look for in the FA Cup semifinal vs Man United

Chelsea is in the thick of a top four race in the Premier League, so it’s easy to overlook the FA Cup, but here are some things to look for in the semis.

Oh boy, things are getting a bit tense in the Premier League. A nice, relaxing FA Cup semifinal against Manchester United is just what the doctor ordered. The underlying tension of the clubs’ fight for Champions League football will be a narrative that drives a lot of what happens before, during and after the match.

The pessimistic view is that this is a free hit, where Chelsea could potentially get a bad performance out of its system before facing Liverpool on Wednesday. The optimist would argue that a win here would give Chelsea a boost of momentum heading into the last two league matches. One of those things will be true, but which one will depend on these things to look for on Sunday?

1. Rotation

The FA Cup is dumb. I get the history and the pageantry and all of that, but there’s no question that the old cliché of the “Magic of the Cup” is just that, an old cliché. Would it be cool for Chelsea to win it? Of course, but it’s hardly the most important goal over this final week of the season. What matters is securing Champions League football for next season, and Chelsea needs all hands on deck to hold onto their top four spot.

What makes matters worse is that Chelsea’s next Premier League match is at Anfield against a Liverpool side who just had its dream of a 100-point season blown to pieces; by Arsenal of all clubs. The Reds will almost certainly be out for blood on Wednesday night, and Chelsea desperately needs some sort of positive result. Jurgen Klopp’s side also has a full week to rest up before that showdown, something unheard of in the Project Restart era. Not great.

So then, with all of that to chew on, how will Frank Lampard approach this semifinal? It would be a terrible PR move to just trot out a team full of bench players, who would almost certainly be slaughtered by United’s attacking players. But it would be suicidal to play his best XI—whatever that is—for the entire match and expect them to be ready to go against Liverpool three days later.

As with most things in life, the right answer is probably somewhere in the middle. A few players seem especially in need of a rest, Christian Pulisic chief amongst them. Chelsea’s current best player has looked increasingly leggy over the last few matches, and a well-rested Pulisic could be the deciding factor in Chelsea’s final two league matches.

Pulisic is hardly the only Chelsea player whose minutes need to be managed against Man United, but his absence would be the most keenly felt. Similar things could be said for Mateo Kovacic, Willian and even Cesar Azpilicueta—who will almost certainly play anyways. All three will be crucial in trying to take points at Anfield as well.

The good news is that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has pretty much an identical set of issues to deal with. His side has the benefit of an easier follow-up match, at home against West Ham, but they’ll be under more pressure to pick up maximum points. United doesn’t have the depth that Chelsea does at the moment, so any chopping and changing on their end will be to Chelsea’s benefit on Sunday. Conversely, a full-strength XI from Solskjaer could play to Chelsea’s advantage in the final league matches. Hopefully Ole is a traditionalist, who dreams of lifting the FA Cup more than he does achieving Champions League football.

A big occasion at Wembley with no fans is going to be an odd enough experience as it is. That dampened excitement will be doused even further by a game of football between two sides whose minds will be elsewhere. Who wins is frankly immaterial. Who looks more prepared for their final two league matches will matter much more in the long run.