"Stopped a clear counter-attack" - Mauricio Pochettino explains why he confronted referee along with Chelsea star
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has explained his reason for confronting the match official during his team's victory against Welsh club side Wrexham.
Pochettino's regime as Blues head coach got off to a flying start, as his side secured an emphatic 5-0 victory during their first preseason game against Wrexham.
It was a dominant display from the west London club, with Chelsea missing chances to make the scoreline bigger.
A brace from Ian Maatsen in the first half of the game, was followed up by second-half strikes from the likes of Conor Gallagher, Ben Chilwell and new signing Christopher Nkunku to secure a resounding victory for Chelsea.
Other players who caught the eyes includes the likes of Nicholas Jackson, Cesare Casadei, Bashir Humphreys, Trevoh Chalobah and young Brazilian winger Angelo.
While it's still very much early days for the Blues under their new head coach, there were positive signs from their performance against Wrexham.
One highlight from the game was when head coach Pochettino confronted the match referee during the stoppage time break, for an incident, he felt wasn't fair to his team. Speaking on his confrontation with the refree at half-time via Football London, he said:
"Yes because it was an action that should play, but the referee stopped a clear counter-attack."
Next up for Chelsea will be a crunch clash against Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion. The game will take place on Sunday, July 23.
Chelsea manager speaks on the need to improve despite emphatic debut victory
The Blues' head coach wasn't all too carried away with his side's 5-0 victory over Wrexham, as he still highlighted the need for his players to improve.
Chelsea's summer preseason preparation got off to a bright start, courtesy of a brilliant all-round performance from a realtively young Blues side. The average age of the team that started the game in the first-half was just over 19 years of age.
A couple of youngsters such as Andre Santos (19), Humphreys (20), Malo Gusto (20), Casadie, Carney Chukwuemeka (19), Ian Matsen (21) and Diego Morriera (18) were all given the nod by Pochettino to start against Wrexham.
Speaking about his sides performance after the game via the club's official website, Pochettino said:
"Like always after a pre-season game, I'm happy because of the attitude,' the Argentine coach explained after the win. 'But, of course, it is time to improve."
He added:
"I think it is part of the process in this period to learn in the way we want to play and, of course, build the physical condition also. I am happy with the performance."
Chelsea have had a huge summer sale with several first team players leaving the club. The likes of Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, N'Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy among others have all parted ways with the Blues.