Reports have claimed that Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella avoided any attempts of embrace from coaches as he left the pitch against Brighton at the weekend.
According to The Athletic, assistant coach Billy Reid looked to meet the Spaniard at the touchline, but he was shrugged off by the Spaniard.
It was an all round nightmare afternoon for the 24-year-old.
His first game back at Brighton after his £63m move in the summer ended in disaster. The Blues were beaten 4-1 without hardly putting up a fight.
Cucurella in particular had a tough time, left exposed by Raheem Sterling’s attempts to be an attacking left wing-back alongside him.
This saw him replaced just after an hour, a substitution which only delighted the home fans even more.
According to The Athletic, the defender was quick to avoid contact on his way off the pitch, instead taking his seat behind Graham Potter.
Cucurella frustrated at substitution
The manager was another who had a miserable Saturday afternoon.
The game saw his unbeaten run as Chelsea manager come to an end, although the opponents would have been a painful one to lose to.
Even multiple successful seasons at the club were not enough for Potter to avoid the boos, which will no doubt have frustrated him.
The Blues have no time to dwell on the damning result however. They are back in action in just two days time.
The Champions League game against Dinamo Zagreb presents a welcome opportunity to offer some of their big stars a deserved rest. The Blues are already confirmed as group winners.
With the London derby against league leaders Arsenal just around the corner, Potter should take this opportunity to rest as much of his first team as possible, offering out opportunities to fringe players and youngsters.
The likes of Denis Zakaria could be handed their first Chelsea appearance.
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