Chelsea 'broke rules' in Mauricio Pochettino's first game in charge
In Mauricio Pochettino's debut match as the manager, Chelsea disregarded the rules and secured a resounding 5-0 victory against Wrexham
Kicking off their pre-season campaign, the Blues faced off against the National League champions in the Florida Cup, attracting a massive crowd of over 50,000 fans at the Kenan Memorial Stadium in North Carolina.
The young talent, Ian Maatsen, shone bright with two goals in the first half, while Conor Gallagher, Christopher Nkunku, and Ben Chilwell all found the net in the last ten minutes of the game.
Chelsea enjoyed a comfortable beginning to their United States tour despite being limited to only SIX midfielders in their squad. Several players were unavailable due to injury recoveries, and unfortunate news came when Wesley Fofana suffered a severe ACL rupture, leading to an extended period on the sidelines.
Reece James didn't make the trip as a precaution after feeling unwell, but the team faced another setback as Trevoh Chalobah, who captained the side during the game, encountered issues with his Achilles.
Towards the end of the game, Chalobah experienced discomfort, and in response, Chelsea had to resort to an improvised approach similar to Sunday League football. Defender Marc Cucurella played the first half but was substituted, yet his services were urgently needed again just five minutes into the second half after Chalobah's injury.
According to professional rules, Cucurella should not have been allowed to return to the pitch since there was no "roll-on, roll-off" regulation in place, meaning that once substituted, a player usually cannot re-enter the field during the same game.
Pochettino confirms that Chalobah felt his 'Achilles' (sounded precautionary) so Cucurella came back on. The officials and Wrexham were both happy with the situation to bring on a player who was subbed off. #CFC
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) July 20, 2023
But because there was an injury, an exception was made and seemingly agreed on by Wrexham and the officials.
Speaking afterwards to the media, Pochettino clarified:
"Chalobah felt his Achilles and we wanted to play with 11 rather than 10. That was it."
Okeke George Chijioke
When you don't see Okeke George blogging, he sure will engage him self in sporting activities.
