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Arne Slot’s decision to bring off Rio Ngumoha for Alexander Isak against Chelsea was not well-received by fans, but the head coach insisted that he only did it because the 17-year-old winger had been suffering from cramp.
He explained: “Rio had cramps before then when he went to the floor. Then I had contact with him and he said that was enough, that’s why I took him off. It makes complete sense [the boos] if you take off a player who is playing well and had assisted. It wasn’t my intention to take him off but he is not at the level yet where he can play at 50/60% and make a difference. He wasn’t fit enough to sprint.