Chelsea vs Newcastle United: Why did Mauricio Pochettino take off Enzo Fernandez and Levi Colwill early?

Chelsea had to dig deep to overcome a well-drilled Newcastle United side in a thrilling penalty shootout of the Carabao Cup. The game had everything, from good goals to an entertaining shootout. The home side clearly dominated the ball, but the visitors did well to sit deep and absorb the pressure. After Callum Wilson scored the opener early in the game, Mykhailo Mudryk’s stoppage-time strike levelled the score.

With no more goals set to come, the match headed to penalty kicks. The home side held their nerve to win the tense shootout. After reaching the Carabao Cup semi-final, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino provided a fitness update on Enzo Fernandez and Levi Colwill. Fernandez was taken off in the first half, while Colwill was subbed at half-time.

Why was Enzo Fernandez, Levi Colwill taken off early?

“He asked to go out because he was a little bit sick before the game. He suffered some problems in his stomach. He tried, he wanted to play and see if it went well. It didn’t go so well so that is why he had to come off. My perception was Levi was a little bit tired and we wanted to put some more offensive players like Malo on and provide more energy in the side. That was why we went for the option for Malo in the second half, but Levi is going to be ready for the next game,” Pochettino, quoted on the club’s website, said after the match.

Pochettino also explained how the late equaliser by Mudryk was possible because the team kept believing till the end. “It was a really good game. We suffered when we conceded, it was our mistake. I said to the players to always believe until the end. The goal was possible because we believed. Sometimes in football you need some luck, and it came. Credit to the players because they were fantastic. We are so happy. The fans and the club deserve this sort of feeling. It’s a big motivation. We are waiting for the draw tomorrow,” he explained.

The Chelsea manager believed that all that his players need is time to develop into something special. “These types of games and the way we went through are important for the development of the team. It’s the same as games when you don’t play well. Both are really important for this group to evolve and develop. When you saw the whole squad, including players who were injured and wanted to share their happiness in the middle of the pitch, it looks like we are a healthy group of players that only need time,” he said.

He further added: “Our responsibility is to guide them and create a platform for them to really improve. With time we are going to create a very good team that can compete, increase the competition, and be in the place Chelsea should be in.”

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