“He was the reason we lost against Newcastle, he completed only 2 passes and Had less touches than the goal keeper- Thiago Silva sends clear Chelsea message to CHELSEA FLOP after Pochettino reveals who to ‘blame

Chelsea captain Reece James has received words of encouragement from his teammates following his dismissal in Saturday’s 4-1 loss to Newcastle. It’s the Blues’ second red card of the season, following the dismissal of fellow right-back Malo Gusto earlier this year in a loss to Aston Villa.

Mauricio Pochettino labelled the outcome and performance as the worst since he took over the club, despite failing to overcome Nottingham Forest and Brentford at Stamford Bridge and losing to West Ham. Chelsea’s momentum has stalled after gaining four points and scoring eight goals in the two games preceding the international break.

Newcastle have been struggling with fitness throughout their squad and have started 17-year-old Lewis Miley in addition to welcome back Miguel Almiron, Fabian Schar, and Alexander Isak from injury. That didn’t stop them, as a self-inflicted collapse left Pochettino enraged after the game.

“We were never connected with the game,” he stated afterward. “Even when we scored, it was a moment to go but the team was never with the right energy to go and compete.” “Both disappointed and angry,” the Argentine added. When this type of performance occurs, it is natural to blame yourself, and we must.

“Even if Newcastle wasn’t great, it was a simple victory.” To come here, Chelsea, and demonstrate how difficult it would be for them to perform in order to win the game and beat us. We agreed since it was so simple. We did not demonstrate that we were competing for anything meaningful by being soft in every single obstacle.”

With much of fan anger online and displeasure from away fans, it was James who took to social media after the game to apologise. He was sent off in the second half for two yellow cards, the first for dissent and a very ill-disciplined performance by the side.

“I accept full responsibility for my red card today, two stupid errors,” he posted on Instagram. “Yet another lesson to learn.” I apologise to the fans and my teammates. Today’s performance was well below our expectations, but this game does not define us! This season, we’ve made great strides versus numerous strong clubs. We’ll be back the following weekend.”

After a sluggish start, Chelsea rallied back with a magnificent free-kick from Raheem Sterling in response to Isak’s opener. They could have led at halftime after a thrilling first half, but Conor Gallagher and Enzo Fernandez both wasted great chances. They were made to pay in the second 45 minutes, however, when they fell apart.

Pochettino confessed that the two goals scored within two minutes were the result of immaturity and blunders, leaving a mountain to climb in a hostile environment. With less than 20 minutes remaining, James made it insurmountable. The Blues captain was making his third league start in a row, having previously gone unbeaten.

Despite a great performance up to that point, James’ brief loss of consciousness summed up an otherwise forgettable afternoon in the north east. He had previously threatened to snap when angered by Newcastle assistant coach Jason Tindall on the sideline.

Silva had to restrain the 23-year-old as he dallied on a free-kick before delivering it straight to a man wearing a black and white striped shirt. Silva himself tweeted on social media following the game, stating that his error effectively ended any possibility of a comeback.

America took a break and apologised to fans.

“I’m absolutely devastated,” he wrote. “We didn’t have a good day. I apologise to everyone for the loss, especially to my teammates who believe in me and cheer me on every day. I accept all responsibility. Let us gather our courage and return stronger [prayer emoji, blue heart emoji].”

When asked about Silva’s error, Pochettino responded, “That is a mistake, I am not talking about mistakes.” I’m talking about energy; we weren’t in the correct… we weren’t prepared to compete today in the best way. That is my main worry. We thought we were prepared to participate today, but we didn’t do it in the manner that the competition required.”