"My skin crawls when I see him” – Chelsea fans furious with 2 players being named in starting line-up to face Brighton in pre-season friendly
Chelsea fans are unhappy with seeing two names in the starting XI against Brighton - Raheem Sterling and Conor Gallagher. Mauricio Pochettino named a more experienced team for this match as we edge closer to the Premier League season.
Pocehttino named Kepa Arrizabalaga as his goalkeeper on Saturday despite him not getting a minute against Wrexham earlier in the week. He was joined by Thiago Silva and Levi Colwill, who took the center-back spots from Trevoh Chalobah and Bashir Humphreys. Malo Gusto and Ben Chilwell started as the full-backs.
Andre Santos and Carney Chukwuemeka kept their place in the midfield, but Cesare Casadei was dropped for Gallagher.
After his impressive loan at Crystal Palace, the Englishman had a rather underwhelming season at Stamford Bridge. The Blues had a big offer to sell the midfielder in the January window, but then manager Graham Potter decided he did not favor selling Gallagher to Everton.
Sterling was another player who was not at his best last season. The big-money signing from Manchester City was also named in the starting XI, replacing Diego Moreira on the right wing.
The Chelsea fans were also not pleased with the change and questioned the decision from Pochettino. Many believe that the Englishman slows their attack and should not be starting games anymore.
Christopher Nkunku got his first start for the Blues today, while Ian Maatsen completed the attack. The youngster kept his place after scoring twice in the pre-season game against Wrexham.
The Chelsea fans did not appreciate all the moves and were quick to voice their opinion on Twitter. Here's how they reacted:
@ChelseaFC @ParimatchUK Even in a preseason game my skin crawls when I see Gallagher starting
@ChelseaFC @ParimatchUK Casadei should start ahead of Gallagher
@ChelseaFC @ParimatchUK Sterling🤮🤮🤮
@ChelseaFC @ParimatchUK Gallagher ball hmm
@ChelseaFC @ParimatchUK Gallagher and Sterling ruins this
Chelsea and Brighton clash as transfer war continues
Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion have been locked in talks over Moises Caicedo this summer. The Blues have been in talks to get the Ecuadorian star but have had two bids rejected, as per The Athletic.
Roberto De Zerbi was not happy with the questions about his midfielder ahead of the game and claimed that they were also interested in Blues star Levi Colwill. The young defender was on loan with the Seagulls last season and had impressed.
However, the Blues have said that they are not interested in selling the U21 Euro winner. The Atheltic has reported that Brighton had a £30 million offer rejected earlier this summer.