star could not start against as he couldn’t play 90 minutes, has revealed.
The defender was named among the substitutes for Chelsea’s trip to Old Trafford on Wednesday night.
Marc Cucurella started at right-back, and the Spaniard struggled to contain Alejandro Garnacho.
James missed Sunday’s 3-2 win against Brighton through suspension, and had been expected to start at the Theatre of Dreams.
But Pochettino said the Blue skipper was not capable of playing the full 90 minutes.
‘It was 1-1 in the first half but we cannot play with Reece for 90 minutes, that’s why it was the decision,’ said Pochettino.
‘We got what we wanted in the second half to use more the right side to attack and arrive from this side.
‘I think it was collective, it wasn’t a problem with some player or the situation of the team, it was that they showed more energy and we didn’t match the energy from the beginning.’
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