"For Sure" - Xabi Alonso Confirms Chelsea Plans For Fringe Players For Carabao Cup Tie vs Leeds

Previewing Chelsea's Carabao Cup tie vs Leeds United.

Xabi Alonso has hinted at his Chelsea team selection plans for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup third-round tie against Leeds United, which might feature fringe players and even academy stars.

Chelsea are expected to rotate the squad for the cup tie, largely because they have another match three days later: a home Premier League fixture against Hull City on Saturday afternoon.

Several key players, including Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer, and Reece James, played the whole 90 minutes in the 2-1 defeat to Arsenal last Sunday, and they are among the players likely to be rested against Leeds United.

However, rotation also serves a purpose beyond resting these key players.

Plenty of players in the Chelsea squad have played very limited roles so far this season, and Alonso is fully aware of the need to keep them happy.

“We want to have the squad, as I said before, with as many players as possible involved and feeling that they have an important role,” the Chelsea boss said in Tuesday’s press conference.

“For sure you have the cups, and we have the Carabao Cup. For that, we did something: we shared some minutes in the first game against Luton.

There are several players, in particular, who have played 10 minutes or less this season, such as Jamie Gittens, Geovany Quenda, and Aaron Anselmino.

Gittens played 10 minutes in Chelsea’s Carabao Cup second-round win over Luton Town, while Quenda had an eight-minute cameo in the season-opener win over Fulham. Anselmino has yet to play, partly because he sustained a hamstring injury at the end of pre-season.

Marco Palestra, Jordan Henderson, and Emmanuel Emegha are also in this category. Unfortunately, they are still nursing some injuries and have been ruled out of the tie alongside key midfielder Moises Caicedo.

Others, such as Mike Penders, Estevao, Danny Welbeck, and Valentin Barco, have each played more than 70 minutes this term. They will be eager for opportunities to play, given Alonso has mostly stuck to a small core of players in the Premier League.

This may also apply to some academy players, who have trained with the first team despite not earning official promotions yet.

“I've said from the first day that there are some very good Academy players that have been with us in pre-season, have been training with us, and some of them will be in the squad,” Alonso added.

Instagram / Reggie Watson

Among the academy stars who have stayed in the first-team environment is 16-year-old Reggie Watson, who impressed in pre-season.

Alonso previously clarified that he sees Watson and Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli as midfield options for the senior side.

That said, Alonso will likely have to balance between giving opportunities to keep everyone sharp and staying competitive in cup competitions.

Without European competition this campaign, going deep in the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup is important so Alonso can keep rotating the team and give fringe players meaningful minutes.