Pochettino explains why he substituted Enzo Fernandez for Chelsea even though ‘he wanted to play’

Mauricio Pochettino says Enzo Fernandez was feeling sick after he was subbed off in Chelsea vs Newcastle game

Mauricio Pochettino confirms why Enzo Fernandez was subbed off early in the game and claims he was sick after Chelsea secured their place in the Carabao Cup semifinal with a 4-2 win on penalties.

The Blues were the better side in the entire game, with 78% possession compared to Newcastle, and they had four shots on target, but their defensive mistake saw them concede the first goal in just the 16^th minute.

Until the 92nd minute, it seemed like Newcastle had one hand in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup, but a massive blunder from Kieran Trippier saw Mykhaylo Mudryk send the game into penalties.

However, the Blues suffered an early setback in the game when Enzo Fernandez was replaced by Armando Broja in the 32nd minute of the match, which raised concerns.

But the Argentine manager confirmed it wasn’t serious, as Fernandez was feeling sick, (h/t Metro) and he further said:

‘’He felt sick. He didn’t feel well before the game, and then when he started to play, it wasn’t going well. He asked to come out because he wasn’t feeling well.”

His departure was a huge setback for us, given how much we needed him in this big of a match since he is one of our most creative players and can breach Newcastle’s defence. Up until Mudryk’s game-winning goal, it looked like we were losing.

He was just unwell; there was no actual cause for it, and hopefully, he gets better. According to Pochettino, he shouldn’t have played in the game because he felt ill earlier. In any case, he will bounce back in a couple of days. Since he has been playing frequently for us, he needs some rest.

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We already have half of our midfield players injured, so if Enzo misses further games, it will undoubtedly affect the team. However, with Christopher Nkunku back, the lineup may change.