Look at us! We’re Big Time Charlies!
THE WREXHAM ANGLE
The BBC’s pick for Saturday night’s plum spot on the schedules is our tilt at the World Champions. This is a sentence I wouldn’t have expected to be typing five years ago, I assure you. Still, here we are, and we’ve got a puncher’s chance of making the watching millions splutter into their dinners with astonishment!
It’s a heck of a tall order, with Chelsea having shown relentless ruthlessness in their cup matches this season. So far in this cup run they’ve travelled to two of our Championship rivals – Charlton Athletic and Hull City – and given them both a proper working-over. Still, if anyone should know the cup can throw up funny results it’s us. The BBC know too and are taking an educated punt on our history of startling everyone with giant-killing acts.
Click here for the most detailed Wrexham v Chelsea Head to Head record
While it certainly would be a shock if we prevail, nobody who has followed Wrexham this season can fail to see the progress we’ve made or be unaware of the terrific quality of our recent performances. Since losing at Swansea a week before Christmas we’ve been in fine form, losing just two out of fifteen matches, knocking a Premier League team and the Championship’s form side out of the FA Cup and sticking five goals past both Sheffield United and Ipswich Town. Oh, we’re on a three-game winning streak too. This is why the BBC selected us rather than Mansfield trying to knock out Arsenal.
We have injury issues to deal with. Not having Ben Sheaf or Matty James available for a game in which retaining possession will be at a premium is a real shame, but in Sheaf’s absence we’ve won two out of two, and since James was injured we’ve only dropped points at Bristol City, who needed a 90th minute worldy to draw level. Admittedly, those two Sheafless wins lacked the fluency we’ve shown in most of this fine run of form: the second half of the Portsmouth game was a backs-to-the-wall job (albeit a very effectively executed one); and Charlton was scrappy, but then most games against them are. Even a circus can’t put on a show every week, I suppose.
Parkinson seemed to confirm to the Leader on Tuesday that James, Sheaf and Liberato Cacace won’t be available in the short term at least:
“Matty had a bit of a setback with his toe so he’s still got a boot on for another week, maybe 10 days. The fracture hadn’t healed as quickly as we’d hoped. Libby’s still making progress. We know Sheafy is going to be out, he’s no different, but obviously we need those two players back.”
Sheaf and James’ absence will be felt even more keenly if George Dobson isn’t available after picking up a broken bone last Saturday. Parkinson told the Leader:
“George got a whack in that challenge towards the end and he broke a bone in his wrist. He’s had to have a small operation.
“It’s not an injury which is going to keep him out long-term, but the fact that he’s had to have a small operation to put a screw in there, we have got to assess that overnight.”
There are further fresh issues concerning Issa Kabore and Nathan Broadhead too: “Issa has got a bit of tightness in his hamstring. It’s not the one he had a problem with before so we are not overly concerned about it.
“Nathan got a whack in the challenge which the referee decided wasn’t a free-kick so we have got a few issues. But when players are out, it presents an opportunity for somebody else to step in. As we have done this season already, we have adapted players with George Thomason being a great example of that. He has stepped in when needed and been absolutely outstanding for us.”
This week’s pointless foray into rotation speculation forces me to confront a key fact; you might argue that the biggest game of the coming week is the play-off showdown against Hull in midweek. I suspect Phil Parkinson would see it that way, and to be fair it’s hard to disagree once you put the excitement of the cup aside. That means we could see a few alterations to the side, although to be fair we’re ticking over rather nicely with a sprinkling of changes every match. The aforementioned knocks might make Parkinson consider Ryan Longman and Josh Windass ahead of Kabore and Broadhead, although if Dobson is absent too we’ll have a lack of options in the centre of the pitch. With Thomason required on the left, it could open the door for Zak Vyner of Davis Keillor-Dunn to make a first start since arriving in January.
Am I naïve in wondering whether Danny Ward, registered ahead of Callum Burton but severely lacking match fitness at a club which doesn’t play many reserve games, might have crossed Parkinson’s mind? I suspect Okonkwo has earned his chance to play on Saturday, but knowing Ward is up to speed if required wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
Likewise, I can’t help assuming Vyner will start one of the next two matches, at least. But which one? Max Cleworth was carrying a knock into the New Year and looked in need of a break, but he’s been terrific in the last couple of games, so if Vyner does play in defence there’s less of an obvious spot to fill too.
I feel a little more confident predicting which option will be selected up front though: Smith in the cup, Moore in the league, no?
Whoever is selected by Parkinson, he’s clearly thrilled at the thought of another chance to take his Wrexham team to face a new challenge:
“Since I came here, there’s been a lot of talk about the FA Cup. We’ve had some great days and I remember the Coventry win in particular. For me, the atmosphere that day was very special; to have four-and-a-half thousand fans behind the goal at Coventry, that was right up there in terms of atmospheres.
“And obviously the Sheffield United games, the drama in those two games was unbelievable. I remember the first game which was live on BBC, I got a lot of messages after the game from the producers saying what a classic cup tie it was.”
“We’d waited patiently for a Premier League team and this year we got Forest which was another incredible game. We were then hoping for another Premier League team but we got Ipswich. We did the job against them and got our reward with an exciting tie for the club.
“I think for the profile of Wrexham, it’s a great game for myself and the players to be on the pitch with the calibre of players that Chelsea have got, and another moment for the Wrexham supporters to savour.
“It’s now a test against that next level of players. Is the way they play uniquely different to teams in our division? No.
“It”s just obviously higher-quality players, and it’s the detail of how we go about the job has got to be that much better to give us a chance to be in the game.”
This isn’t our first foray into the last 16 of the FA Cup, of course, but the stability we’re experiencing as we approach the game certainly is, as is the sense that we’re fulfilling expectations rather than springing a surprise by getting this far. There was a time when the £120,000 broadcaster’s fee we’ll receive for playing in the fifth round would have been massive for us: indeed, it could have been the difference between having a football club or not at certain points this century. Now, it’s just part of a bigger picture. How bewilderingly wonderful is this transformation? No matter how it goes, sit back and enjoy. Why not bask in the suspicion that this sort of affair will become a more regular occurrence in the coming years too, while you’re at it?
Known injuries: Lewis Brunt, Liberato Cacace, Matty James, Ben Sheaf, Tom O’Connor,
THE VIEW FROM THE OTHER SIDE
While Chelsea might not be the best side Wrexham has ever faced. It is without question that they will travel to The Racecourse with the most outstanding squad we’ve encountered in our history. Teams like Bob Paisley’s Liverpool in 1978 and Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United in 1995 were clearly more dominant than a Chelsea side who are not Premier League champions. However, football has changed since then, and the wealth of the Premier League means that England’s super teams accumulate astounding pools of talent. Undoubtedly, Chelsea’s star-studded roster is more remarkable in its depth than anything a Wrexham team has ever had to contend with.
Of course, that doesn’t guarantee success. It will be interesting to see how manager Liam Rosenior deploys the players at his disposal. He has, during his short time at Stamford Bridge, already praised the incredible range of options he has, stating that he has no concerns about rotating the team regularly because “I don’t just have just eleven good players, I have twenty-two outstanding players.”
They might not be the domestic champions, but that’s not to say they aren’t successful. Most obviously, they are the current club world champions having lifted the trophy in the summer. Some sought to denigrate the tournament as a vanity project for FIFA president and Wrexham AFC Women fan, Gianni Infantino, but that should not detract from Chelsea’s achievement. After all, they did hammer Paris Saint Germain in the final just weeks after the French team had staged a sensational demolition of Inter in the Champions League final. Every silver lining has a cloud, of course, and while Chelsea deserve to bask in the glory of winning the first edition of an expanded global tournament, they did have to meet Donald Trump as a consequence.
This season has gone solidly, and it was a surprise to many that Enzo Maresca, the head coach who steered Chelsea to their stateside victory, was dismissed. A title challenge has not materialized, but they played some good football and were in a position to challenge for a Champions League place. That is the bare minimum requirement, though, for a club as ambitious as Chelsea and an ownership group as eager as BlueCo to fully realize their investment. Maresca went, and in his place came Rosenior.
A fascinating choice, Rosenior has followed in the footsteps of his father, Leroy, in having a successful playing career mostly at big championship clubs and also played in an FA Cup final while at Hull City. He caught the eye with his coaching in France, guiding Strasbourg to the top end of the table and attracting the interest of big European clubs with his progressive modern approach to coaching. Chelsea acted swiftly to snap him up before any of their rivals did, and he has made a positive start at Stamford Bridge. Perhaps the high point of his time in West London so far came last Wednesday when his team overcame the concession of an early goal against high flying Aston Villa to triumph 4-1 at Villa Park in a terrific statement performance. With Paris Saint Germain looming again next Wednesday, though, you would think that Rosenior will indulge in a wholesale rotation of his spectacular squad at The Racecourse, though.
Not that we should assume that will mean he fields a weakened team. As he said, he has options to spare, and the depth of his squad is intimidating.
Rosenior made a change in goal last Wednesday, replacing Robert Sánchez with Filip Jörgensen, who was making only his second Premier League appearance of the season. You would assume Rosenior would retain the Dane in his starting side; if he is first choice now, he needs to be fully assimilated before the challenge of facing the European champions in midweek.
Elsewhere in the side, it is tempting to assume that Roméo Lavia will play. The talented Belgian midfielder was the subject of a remarkable tug of war transfer as both Liverpool and Chelsea looked to prize him away from Southampton. Both clubs were also interested in Moisés Caicedo, who had been in sensational form with Brighton. Chelsea shelled out for the Ecuadorian, who is one of the best all-round midfielders in the world, and then compounded Liverpool’s frustration by signing Lavia too. Rosenior’s plentiful options in midfield have limited Lavia’s opportunities, though. Obviously, Enzo Fernandez is a first choice pick as he is currently both world champion at club and national level. Other competition for places comes from the likes of Andrey Santos, who gained valuable experience under Rosenior while on loan to Strasbourg. One of his first non-competitive appearances in a Chelsea shirt was in the friendly against Wrexham in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and he was terrifically classy in a 5-0 win. He also came on at half time of the 2-2 draw the following Summer in Santa Clara, California.
Rosenior has virtually confirmed Lavia will get a start in his pre-match press conference:
“I’m delighted for him. Romeo will definitely play a part and he’ll play a huge part for the rest of the season. We know of his attributes. He’s been itching to play but we’ve tried to build him in the best possible way. But yeah, his chance is to come and he’s definitely going to play in his next few games.”
When you see a club grow, develop, improve and come up through the leagues, it’s a great story. They’ve done a great job. I think Phil [Parkinson] has done an incredible job, the way he’s managed the team and the position they’re in in the league as well now. We know it’s going to be a really, really difficult game. It’s a club that’s on the rise and there’s a good energy and a good vibe around. It’s hard to play against that. We take the game really seriously.
It’s brilliant. I think to be open with the public about how a football club works and people are interested in it, it’s been a great story for them and hopefully after the game, it continues for them.
For us, it’s an opportunity to win a trophy. We are the favourites, and rightly so. But we need to play like that.
-Liam Rosenior on Wrexham and his team’s cup ambitions.
Further forward, Alejandro Garnacho is a supreme talent who might need game time as he looks to get things going properly at Stamford Bridge as he has yet to fulfil his potential since moving to Chelsea this season. The Argentinian international was a breakthrough star as a youngster at Manchester United but didn’t fit into Ruben Amorim’s plans and was allowed to move to London. An exciting dribbler and blessed with terrific pace, Garnacho is a match winner, but starts have been hard to come by in his time in West London. Having played in midweek, he will hope to keep his place in North Wales.
Another intriguing possibility is that Cole Palmer will be in the starting lineup. Palmer, it could be argued, is the stand-out star at Chelsea, even in the context of their magnificent squad. One of the best players in the world, the England international has scored in the European Championships final and is blessed with terrific talent, creative and deadly in front of goal. Palmer has wonderful vision and can punish even the very best defences. This season, though, has been disrupted by injuries, and Rosenior might decide to give Palmer some minutes in this cup tie.
As evidence of his bona fides as an authentic twenty first century football superstar, Palmer has his own trademark goal celebration, of course. although Morgan Rogers claims Palmer pinched it from him when they were apprentices together at Manchester City’s Academy!
Further world class attacking talent could be on view as Pedro Neto is available after serving a suspension and will be keen to get back into the swing of things.
Surely we won’t see Joao Pedro in Saturday’s cup tie, as the sensational Brazilian striker will be protected ahead of the big midweek Champions League match. He scored a hat trick in the win at Aston Villa, and will surely be held back for that assignment. Post-match he told Chelsea TV: “I think it was another dream night for me.
“Since I joined here I have been waiting for this moment, playing for a big team to get my hat-trick. I think it was a perfect night to get my first hat-trick with Chelsea. I just need to look forward and get more.
“I think everyone was perfect, when the team plays like this I will get chances. Everyone was top and we need to continue like this.
“It was a special day for everyone. We still have nine games to fight and to be in the top four.”
In Pedro’s absence, Rory Delap is likely to get an opportunity up front, having played in the earlier round demolitions of Championship opposition. Rosenior referred to Delap’s performance at Hull when discussing him in his pre-match press conference:
“Liam’s last game he got three assists. He was in a good place. You need a group. You need a group. Joao is on fire. But that’s nothing on Liam. That’s Joao’s performances. That’s the level that we need to have.
“I expect Liam, when he does get his opportunity to take it, to show his qualities. You’re not comparing players. You’re respecting them for their each individual strength. Liam will have his opportunities to play in big games. It’s up to him to take it and I’m confident that he will.”
Known injuries: Levi Colwill, Dário Essugo, Estêvão, Jamie Gittens
POTENTIAL MILESTONES
Dom Hyam’s 400th career match.
Max Cleworth’s 200th career appearance.
FIXTURES
Fulham v Southampton
Leeds United v Norwich City
Mansfield Town v Arsenal
Newcastle United v Manchester City
Port Vale v Sunderland
West Ham United v Brentford
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool
So, seven Premier League teams and us in the quarter-finals, then!!!!!
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