'Unaware': Tyrique George spares Chelsea's blushes as Carabao Cup rule change not spotted by club
Tyrique George was the hero for Chelsea against Lincoln City, involved in both goals en-route to a Carabao Cup win.
With Joao Pedro needing a rest and Liam Delap out injured, Enzo Maresca had to call upon Tyrique George to lead the line on Tuesday night.
The English winger has done that job for Maresca before, but it was far from the ideal solution.
- READ MORE: Malo Gusto almost lost for words after what he witnessed during Lincoln win, ‘never seen that’
After appearing for Sunderland earlier in the competition, Marc Guiu was thought to be ineligible to play for Chelsea. As it turns out, the rule has changed.
Chelsea told hours before kick-off that Marc Guiu can play
In previous seasons, players were not permitted to appear for two clubs in one cup competition, so Guiu was ruled out of contention for this game.
But hours before kick-off, Chelsea were told otherwise.
As BBC Sport reports: “It appears Chelsea were unaware of the rule change but were informed by the English Football League (EFL) hours before Tuesday’s kick-off, after seeking clarification.”
Chelsea reportedly contacted the EFL after the story broke to find out whether their third-choice striker could play.
It was already quite late in the day to be making any major adjustments, so George still got the nod. And he made the most of it.
Enzo Maresca has a different story
After the game, Maresca was asked about Guiu’s omission.
He said: “The reason why is because yesterday in the game preparation he felt something, nothing important, but with Liam Delap already out we did not want to take a risk.
“So tonight we give Ty [George] and Jamie a chance.”
No mention of the ‘mix-up’ over the rules.
But the fact that Chelsea contacted the EFL on the day of the fixture suggests there was something they didn’t know, and these claims of a knock weren’t mentioned prior to the game.
If Chelsea had gone out against Lincoln, such a mistake would have seen someone wake up this morning to a less-than-friendly work call. But as the result went the way of the Blues, it will probably be swept under the rug for everyone’s sake.
from Chelsea FC Latest News & Club Updates | The Chelsea Chronicle https://ift.tt/JKLY7Rn
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