Caicedo SLAMS Pochettino with damning Chelsea message

Cameron Smith

8 Jul 2024 18:00 BST
2 min read

Moises Caicedo, Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea, 2023/24 — © IMAGO

Moises Caicedo has criticised Mauricio Pochettino and has seemingly suggested the Argentine is responsible for his struggles upon signing for Chelsea last summer.

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The 22-year-old joined Chelsea from Brighton & Hove Albion for a whopping €116 million and he found it difficult to adapt to life at Stamford Bridge during his first few months.

Caicedo eventually enjoyed an impressive end to the campaign and he played a key role in Chelsea’s late-season resurgence, which saw them finish sixth in the Premier League table.

However, the Ecuador international, who starred for his nation as they exited the 2024 Copa America at the quarter-final stage, has seemingly blamed Pochettino for his early struggles at Chelsea.

The ex-Tottenham Hotspur boss has already left the Blues, after just one year in charge, and Caicedo believes his training methods were a key reason behind his slow start to the season.

What has Moises Caicedo said?

The Ecuador midfielder told Radio La Red (via The Daily Mail): “At Brighton, it was all tactical, just with the ball; tactical, tactical, tactical. And at Chelsea, it was run, run, run and it was very difficult for me.

“With Chelsea, I always ran a bit more and with Brighton we almost always had the ball, with Chelsea it was a different football and we had to run more.”

Caicedo shone under the management of Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton, while he evidently believes his patchy early form at Chelsea was due to Pochettino’s preferred style.

Last season, the Blues were incredibly susceptible to counter-attacks, with Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez forced to cover large spaces when defending - something that didn’t suit either player.

Chelsea’s system did, however, bring the best out of Atletico Madrid-linked Conor Gallagher, whose energetic style was a perfect match for Pochettino.

With Enzo Maresca arriving this summer, Chelsea are expected to implement a more possession-heavy system next season, which is likely to bring out the best in both Caicedo and Fernandez.