"We needed a pause for Toni [Rudiger], Azpi and Marcos [Alonso] in defence. That’s why we went with that selection," Thomas Tuchel said after the Chesterfield win, as per The Independent.
"It was important to share the minutes, manage to have some players that can rest to be in the best shape possible for the upcoming games.
"But we constantly have to adapt because the situation can change any day.
"It’s not only one game, we have four games: we have Wednesday, Saturday away, Tuesday then on to Sunday.
"We have tough matches coming up. It was simply the moment and of course a different level of intensity in the FA Cup."
As a result, Chelsea started with a back three of Andreas Christensen, Malang Sarr and Lewis Hall, with Callum Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech filling in as wing-backs.
Fortunately, the Blues were not too vulnerable at the back and settle the tie early, scoring three goals within 20 minutes.
