Mauricio Pochettino Explains Why Marc Cucurella Was Subbed Off and Brought Back On During Pre-Season Win Over Wrexham
Chelsea FC boss Mauricio Pochettino has explained why Marc Cucurella was subbed off before being brought back on during the 5-0 pre-season win over Wrexham. Cucurella started in a back four alongside Malo Gusto, Trevoh Chalobah, Bashir Humphreys as the west Londoners faced the League Two side at the Florida Cup.
The 24-year-old played the first half as two goals from Ian Maatsen saw the Blues take a 2-0 lead at the break against Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s team. Cucurella was taken off ahead of the second half and replaced by Ben Chilwell as Conor Gallagher made it 3-0 with 10 minutes to play.
But on 85 minutes, Cucurella was subbed back on, replacing Trevoh Chalobah, as goals from Christopher Nkunku and Chilwell secured the 5-0 victory. Normally, a player is not allowed to re-enter the match once they have been replaced, but the referee and Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson agreed to allow it.
Pochettino Explains Cucurella’s Substitution
Asked to explain why Cucurella was subbed off and came back on, Chelsea boss Pochettino said: ‘The thinking was only that Chalobah feels something in his Achilles. In the last 5 minutes we had the choice to play with 10 or 11. We agreed with the referees and the coach, Phillip, of Wrexham. If some problem like this, we can.’
Pochettino will hope that Chalobah’s injury is not too severe given that Wesley Fofana is set to miss the majority of the upcoming season after undergoing knee surgery.
Chelsea Eyeing Potential Fofana Replacement
Meanwhile, Chelsea are considering a move for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi to bolster their defensive options.
Conclusion
Mauricio Pochettino has explained why Marc Cucurella was subbed off before being brought back on during the 5-0 pre-season win over Wrexham. The Chelsea boss revealed that Trevoh Chalobah had felt something in his Achilles and that they agreed with the referees and Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson to allow Cucurella to re-enter the match. With Wesley Fofana set to miss most of the upcoming season due to injury, Chelsea are looking at potential replacements and have been linked with Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.