Chelsea players partied on a ‘night out’ arranged by captain Reece James following the side’s 2-0 loss to Everton, it has been reported.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side suffered their second Premier League defeat in the space of four days at Goodison Park on Sunday, with Abdoulaye Doucoure and Lewis Dobbin scoring second half goals for the hosts.
Chelsea had just four shots on target throughout the contest, and suffered a fresh injury blow when captain Reece James limped off with a suspected hamstring injury during the first half.
Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez also had to be replaced by club debutant Djordje Petrovic, while left-back Marc Cucurella also suffered an injury.
Earlier in the week, the Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat at Manchester United, during which they were outplayed by Erik ten Hag’s side.
The Telegraph report that James had planned a Christmas night out for himself and his team-mates for the immediate aftermath of the Everton game.
Despite the defeat, though – and the loss to United – the Chelsea skipper decided that the night out would go ahead, with the report claiming that he wanted to use it as a ‘vital bonding session’ to boost morale ahead of a busy festive fixture schedule.
It is added that the players returned to London from Merseyside, before attending a restaurant and nightclub.
The report claims that Pochettino ‘gave his blessing’ for the evening, and decided not to cancel it despite the performance and result at Goodison Park, with James also said to have approached his manager to check whether the event could still go ahead.
The skipper will hope that the evening can have a positive effect in helping Chelsea get back to winning ways, with the Blues taking on Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Speaking after the game at Everton, Pochettino urged Chelsea’s owners to do more in the transfer market, despite them spending over £450 million in the most recent window.
He said: “After the first half of the season, we need to check. That is the reality. If we are not receiving enough, maybe we need to do some movement.
“We need to be more aggressive. Then it’s a massive assessment and when the transfer window opens, we will see what we can do.”
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