One of Chelsea’s top players was an example of a player improving drastically as he got more comfortable with his surroundings last season.
Moises Caicedo perhaps looked a player who was feeling the heat of the price tag on his head after becoming the club’s record addition.
Towards the end of the season he was one of the first names on the teamsheet for the club alongside Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson.
This was under Mauricio Pochettino at the time, who led the Blues to European football before being relieved of his duties.
The Ecuador international has now shared what he noticed when he first started playing under the Argentine that he actually really struggled with.
He said to Alfonso Laso (as transcribed by ‘Perro Chelsea’): “Yes, with Pochettino he was strong, when I arrived at Chelsea it was difficult for me. At Brighton it was all tactical, only with the ball; ‘tactical, tactical, tactical’ and at Chelsea it was run, run and it was difficult for me.
“With Chelsea I always ran a little more and with Brighton we almost always had the ball, with Chelsea it was a different kind of football and we had to run more.”
There is plenty of hope about what Caicedo can do after a full season under his belt, especially under a new manager who looks set to prioritise doing things on the ball.
Enzo Maresca was brought in to replace Pochettino, and one of his biggest tasks will be getting a tune out of the partnership of him and Enzo Fernandez.
It has been reported the Italian already has a plan for the World Cup winner when he gets underway, after it is fair to say that the club’s best football came when he was on the treatment table.
Fernandez is currently starring at the Copa America though, with him recently dumping out Caicedo in the process on penalties.
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