Mauricio Pochettino jokes Chelsea owner would kill him had he rested Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo in Arsenal clash
Mauricio Pochettino cracks jokes that Chelsea owner would be infuriated if Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez had been rested for the Arsenal game.
The £200 million duo has become irreplaceable for the Blues since their arrival. Both Caicedo and Fernandez set the flow of their game with their partnership in midfield.
Despite participating in the October international break for their respective nations, Fernadez and Caicedo played the entire 90 minutes in a 2-2 draw with Arsenal.
Caicedo and Fernandez monopolised the midfield and nullified the likes of Declan Rice and Jorginho. But after Robert Sanchez’s mistake, Chelsea lost the rhythm of the game as they conceded the second goal.
Pochettino later claimed it was surprising to see the former Benfica and Brighton & Hove Albion midfielders after their exercises in South America, (Evening Standard) but he later revealed he started both against Arsenal.
“It’s crazy for players to come back from South America on Wednesday and play on Saturday. But if I say, OK, I’m going to give them a rest, you will kill me, for sure, if they don’t play—and the owner also. Today Caceido and Enzo arrived after two games in America, and they were not fresh. But they are important plasters for us.”
It was a big game for us and it was apparent that they would surely start because of how important they are to us in such crucial matches. It was a massive game for us. They make a fantastic midfield duo and influence the game’s flow with their on-field chemistry. However, it’s also necessary to give them some rest because playing them frequently puts them in danger of picking injuries.
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Caicedo and Fernandez have strengthened our midfield to a level that we can dominate the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal. Against Arsenal, we witnessed how they completely minimized Jorginho and Rice’s influence on the midfield. We need to also keep in mind that giving them rest is also important for their recovery.