Mauricio Pochettino says he was sad to see Chelsea star Reece James receive a red card in the 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion
Mauricio Pochettino didn’t like when Chelsea star Reece James received a red card in the 2-1 win against Brighton & Hove Albion. The 24-year-old kicked at Brighton star Joao Pedro after a check from VAR the Blues captain was shown marching order.
The fullback came on as a substitute and was only on the pitch for 17 minutes. And now his red card will see him miss four matches. Meanwhile, the Blues climbed to sixth place as they strengthened their hopes of European qualification.
Chelsea will next face Bournemouth at home on Sunday, and a win will see them go to fifth place if Tottenham Hotspur loses against Sheffield United. But James will be absent for the season’s last game.
Pochettino will be disappointed to not have had the captain for the campaign last season, who returned from a hamstring injury against Nottingham Forest, (h/t Metro), speaking to the media after the game, he said:
‘Maybe it’s his frustration. But, yes, it is painful. It was painful because it was a fantastic night of football, and he’s our captain and a really important player. I’m disappointed because now he’s going to miss the next game and maybe a few games in next season.’
Since we were ahead 2-0 and had just ten players left, he needed to learn to be a more composed player in these intense moments and learn to control his fury. Brighton also stepped up their attack in an attempt to tie the score, but thankfully we only gave them one goal—and that goal came in the final few minutes of the game.
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The fact that he won’t play in the season finale is really insignificant. James really should have performed better as captain; that was a foolish foul. He was irresponsible; in addition to missing the final game, he will also miss the next three when the following season begins.