Moises Caicedo has recently recalled his tough adaptation into Chelsea’s squad after a £108 million transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion, laying all the blame at the doorstep of Mauricio Pochettino, his former manager.
The 22-year-old midfielder initially found life at Stamford Bridge tough but played a pivotal role in Chelsea’s late-season surge to a sixth-place Premier League finish.
Caicedo’s skills were also impressive for Ecuador in the 2024 Copa America quarterfinals and despite improving as the season went on, he has attributed his difficulties to Pochettino’s training methods.
In an interview with Radio La Red, The Daily Mail reports, Caicedo said:
“At Brighton, much of our work was tactical and very ball-possession-oriented. At Chelsea, with Pochettino, it is more physicality, running all the time, and that proved a big challenge for me.”
Caicedo excelled under Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton, where tactical play suited his strengths.
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He feels that the high-intensity game with quick transitions that Pochettino insisted on, didn’t suit his style, and this probably made him very occasional in his performances earlier in the season.
Under Pochettino, Chelsea was often exposed on defense, leaving Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez to bear the full force of counter-attacks, neither of whom particularly had a defensive role as part of their game.
On the flip side, Conor Gallagher had seemed to benefit from Pochettino’s tactics during his time at Chelsea, getting to play in a hyperactive midfield that suited him.
For now the idea is to turn to Enzo Maresca at the beginning of this new season, who will be looking to implement a possession game plan, this can be exactly what players such as Caicedo and Fernandez need to truly shine.
Moises Caicedo’s critique of Mauricio Pochettino’s coaching at Chelsea highlights the crucial match between player style and managerial strategy.
With Enzo Maresca set to implement a possession-focused approach, Chelsea’s upcoming season promises a new opportunity for players like Caicedo to excel under a system better suited to their strengths.
With this, Moises Caicedo sheds light on the challenges, players face under varying coaching philosophies and breaks open—the room for its resurgence under new managerial direction at Stamford Bridge.
