Why did Mauricio Pochettino sub off Mykhailo Mudryk in Chelsea’s FA Cup clash against Leicester City?

Pochettino revealed that Mykhailo Mudryk was tired

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that he took off Mykhailo Mudryk during their FA Cup clash with Leicester City after noticing that the Ukrainian was knackered. He was replaced in the 78th minute for Carney Chukwuemeka when the game was finely poised at 2-2.

The Blues eventually won the fixture 4-2, courtesy of stoppage-time goals from Chukwuemeka and Noni Madueke, and reached the semi-finals. They will learn their fate in the last-four later today when the draw will be made.

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As for Mudryk, the 23-year-old had a fine game for Chelsea. His immaculate passing range was on full display while he also gave the Leicester defense plenty to think with his precocious dribbles. Nonetheless, Pochettino took him off in the 78th minute for Chukwuemeka, much to the fans’ chagrin.

However, after the match, the Argentinian explained his decision, saying that he replaced Mudryk because he seemed to run out of energy. He said:

“I am not here to do what the people want. Also, I am not stupid. I say for me, I saw Mudryk and we analysed he was tired, doing some stretching. So we decided first for Mudryk and then for Raheem. We are professional.”

Chelsea next play Burnley at the Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Saturday.

Mykhailo Mudryk has developed into a key player for Chelsea

A £62 million acquisition from Shakhtar Donetsk last year, Mykhailo Mudryk took some time to get going but has settled into the squad this season. The Ukrainian has been one of their best players, capturing fans’ imagination with his attacking flair and passing wizardry. Therefore, it’s understandable why they were unhappy to see him go off during today’s match, especially when he was on song once again. He’s made a total of 30 appearances this season across all competitions, scoring six goals and making three assists.

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