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Chelsea FC captain Reece James is expected to miss three months after being sidelined with a hamstring injury during Sunday’s loss to Everton. After being pulled from the Everton match in the 27th minute with an apparent hamstring injury, Reece James made some seemingly questionable decisions.
Following his removal of the match due to injury, Chelsea went on to give up goals in the 54th and 94th minutes and lost 2-0 to Everton on the road despite dominating possession 73% to Everton’s 27%, and dominating shots with 16 to Everton’s 9. The Blues are now significantly closer to relegation than they are the top of the league… Chelsea has accumulated just 19pts on the season which is 11 more than Sheffield United at the bottom of the table. But they sit 18pts off Liverpool in 1st with 37pts.
Chelsea Captain Reece James Takes Team Partying After Injury During Everton Loss
According to Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph, Chelsea captain Reece James had a Christmas bonding event planned for the team back in London, an event that was planned prior to the loss. Instead of putting a damper on the evening and exacerbating low morale following the loss, Reece James apparently forged ahead with night of partying on the town.
According to Law, the ‘nature of the evening’ changed from what was originally scheduled as a Christmas event to a ‘much-needed bonding session’ following the dismal defeat to Everton. Here’s how it all went down:
“Chelsea’s players returned from Everton to London and headed straight for the Bagatelle restaurant in Mayfair, London before moving on to Tape nightclub. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino had given his blessing for the evening and did not feel the need to cancel it in the aftermath of another disappointing result.”
I’m all for partying away the demons. If that’s what the captain believes Todd Boehly’s team needs to turn things around then he should be trusted to make that decision. I’m no Chelsea fan, far from it, so I wouldn’t begrudge them keeping their poor form going a bit longer.
But the decision to go out after suffering an injury that will now see Chelsea captain Reece James sit out for 3 months is questionable, at best. Anyone who has ever been to Bagatelle for a rowdy brunch or busy night knows that it’s a far cry from a day spa. And I’m not familiar with London’s Tape nightclub but I have to assume that Jacobi Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe’s elite club reserved for A-listers goes hard.
Exacerbating the optics of this situation, this isn’t Reece’s first injury this season. Reece James tore a hamstring in Chelsea’s opening match of the season against Liverpool and sat out for seven games due to the injury.