Chelsea Ubah Susunan Pemain Hadapi Manchester City di Final Piala FA

Pelatih interim Chelsea Calum McFarlane merombak susunan pemain mula dengan melakukan dua perubahan penting menjelang laga final Piala FA melawan Manchester City di Stadion Wembley pada Sabtu, 16 Mei 2026.

Klub berjuluk The Blues tersebut mengincar trofi Piala FA pertama mereka sejak 2018 dalam penampilan ke-17 mereka di partai puncak kompetisi ini. Perubahan komposisi tim dilakukan setelah Chelsea meraih hasil imbang 1-1 melawan Liverpool di Stadion Anfield pada pertandingan sebelumnya.

Robert Sanchez kembali disiagakan di bawah mistar gawang setelah absen pekan lalu akibat protokol gegar otak untuk menggantikan Filip Jorgensen. Sementara itu, kapten tim Reece James kembali masuk dalam daftar starter di lini tengah setelah pulih dari cedera otot paha yang membuatnya absen selama dua bulan.

McFarlane memutuskan untuk mempertahankan formasi tiga bek tengah yang diisi oleh Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, dan Jorrel Hato. Lini serang Chelsea akan dipimpin oleh Joao Pedro dengan dukungan dari Cole Palmer serta Enzo Fernandez, sedangkan posisi penyerang sayap diisi oleh Pedro Neto atau Alejandro Garnacho yang baru kembali berlatih.

Di sisi lain, pemain muda Estevao Willian dipastikan absen hingga akhir musim akibat cedera otot paha yang didapat saat melawan Manchester United bulan lalu dan telah kembali ke Brasil untuk menjalani pemulihan.

"We felt like we needed him in that moment in the game, and it was great to have him back," kata Calum McFarlane, Pelatih Interim Chelsea, seperti dilansir sabcsport.com.

McFarlane menilai kembalinya sang kapten memberikan dampak instan pada penguasaan bola tim saat menghadapi Liverpool.

"Andrey did really well, but we just wanted to freshen it up in midfield. Reece and Moi have played together in that position loads of times, and you can see the connection," ujar McFarlane.

Menurut sang pelatih, James telah menunjukkan performa latihan yang solid sepanjang pekan untuk menyambut laga krusial ini.

"Reece is a massive player for this team and England. The amount of positions he can play, his skillset in and out of possession. He's one of the best for me," kata McFarlane.

Terkait kondisi pemain muda yang harus absen, McFarlane menegaskan komitmen tim untuk tetap mendampingi proses rehabilitasinya.

"Estevao has gone back to Brazil to recover. He's not going to be fit for us from now until the end of the season," ujar McFarlane.

McFarlane menyayangkan kehilangan talenta muda tersebut namun memilih mengalihkan fokus penuh pada jajaran pemain yang tersedia.

"He's a top talent, really good to work with, but our focus is on the next games and supporting his recovery," kata McFarlane.

Melalui laporan Evening Standard, McFarlane juga kembali memberikan pujian tinggi terhadap kapasitas fleksibilitas yang dimiliki oleh sang kapten di atas lapangan.

"Reece is a massive player for this team, and England, I’m sure," kata Calum McFarlane, Pelatih Interim Chelsea.

James tercatat sering ditempatkan sebagai gelandang tengah maupun bek tengah darurat di bawah arahan pelatih Chelsea terdahulu, Enzo Maresca dan Liam Rosenior.

"One of the best, for me. One of the most complete footballers in world football, [considering] the [number] of positions he can play, his skillset in and out of possession," ujar McFarlane.

Kehadiran James di paruh kedua pertandingan kontra Liverpool dinilai menjadi kunci penyegaran taktik tim.

"It was great to have him back. We felt like we needed him in that moment in the [Liverpool] game. I thought Andrey [Santos] did really well, actually, but just to freshen it up in midfield, get a bit more control," kata McFarlane.

Kerja sama James bersama Moises Caicedo di sektor tengah diharapkan mampu meredam agresivitas lini tengah Manchester City.

"[Reece] and Moi [Moises Caicedo] have played together in that position loads of times and you could see the connection in there," ujar McFarlane.

Persiapan matang yang dilalui sepanjang minggu ini membuat sang manajer optimistis menghadapi partai final di Wembley.

"So, really pleased that Reece came through that. Really pleased with the week he’s put in in preparation for Manchester City. He’s in a really good place," kata McFarlane.

Pertandingan final antara Chelsea melawan Manchester City dijadwalkan berlangsung pada pukul 15.00 waktu setempat dan disiarkan melalui saluran BBC serta TNT Sports.