Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo started on the bench in his side’s 4-1 defeat to Newcastle United yesterday and Mauricio Pochettino explained why before the game.
Mauricio Pochettino would have wanted to name his big-money summer signing in his first XI for the trip to St James’ Park, but the Argentine did not think it would have been wise and has told Chelsea’s official app the reason.
Moises Caicedo starting probably would not have made that much of a difference.
In the end, Chelsea were utterly outclassed by Eddie Howe’s side. A mistake from Thiago Silva did not help the Blues, but the Brazilian has since come out to apologise for his error.
Mauricio Pochettino explains Moises Caicedo decision
Pochettino says he did not want to risk Caicedo after he came back late from international duty.
Speaking to Chelsea’s official app about why the Ecuador star was not starting, the 51-year-old said: “Yes, it is true that with Moises Caicedo we need to manage his minutes carefully.
“He only arrived back with us yesterday [Friday] from international duty with Ecuador and has only had one training session, so we felt it was best that we avoid any possible [injury] problems and just be careful with him with so many games ahead.
“This is why we have a big squad, so we can use the players to play when they are maybe not in complete perfect condition, so Moises not starting is just to avoid any risk.”
Will Moises Caicedo start against Brighton & Hove Albion next Sunday?
Caicedo is not injured and actually did come on in the 4-1 defeat to Newcastle at St James’ Park yesterday.
With that in mind, then, you would expect him to start against his former club next weekend. Chelsea smashed their transfer record to bring the 22-year-old in from the Amex Stadium. He is not the kind of player you leave on the bench if he is fit enough to be included in the first XI.
His defensive stats have not been as good as they were last season. For example, according to WhoScored, Caicedo is currently making 1.5 tackles per game. Last term, his average was 2.7.
There has been a dip, but what the previous campaign shows is that the former Brighton man is capable of being a very good ball-winning midfielder.
As this season goes on, Chelsea fans will be expecting to see that and it would be a surprise if he did not get the chance to show what he can do against his old side next Sunday when they travel to Stamford Bridge.
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