Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea stars Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo need to build partnership in midfield
Since they are the main players who dictate how the game is played, Mauricio Pochettino believes that Chelsea duo Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo should form a tandem in the middle of the pitch.
But so far, both midfielders have struggled to click with each other in a few matches, which has resulted in a Blues midfielder being run over by the opposition team.
Enzo was signed for £106.8m from Benfica and Caicedo was signed for £115m from Brighton, resulting in a grand total of £221.8m for the duo.
Despite a 3-2 win over Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Manchester United midweek, which once again raised questions about the club’s progress under the 51-year-old.
The Blues lost the midfield battle to United as they conceded two goals from Scott McTominay. Both Caicedo and Fernandez have signed with a massive price tag, which will certainly keep them in the limelight, and if they don’t perform well, fingers will be pointed at them.
Pochettino was questioned regarding Fernandez and the Ecuadorian midfielder pairing and was asked why they haven’t built a solid connection, (h/t Evening Standard), Pochettino said:
“The relationship between them needs to improve, both between them and individually. They are young. The expectation is massive when you arrive. It’s not only the individual expectation but the collective expectation at a club like Chelsea. It is not easy; they are not in the best place to perform quickly because they need to be part of the solution. They are not the cherry on the cake.”
Pochettino is aware of their talent and his full trust in their abilities which is why they have featured in the majority of the games under the Argentine. They are young players and when they come up against an experienced side they will tend to suffer but their quality is immense it will benefit Chelsea’s midfield a lot in the coming years.
There is no doubt that there are high expectations because of the huge price tag they were signed with, which will put them on the headlines in each match. If they fall short of the price tag, criticism will undoubtedly follow. Although Fernandez has been excellent since day one there will be some days when you fail to perform at your level, which is acceptable.
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Although Caicedo and Fernandez have both performed admirably as midfielders, given their high price tags, more will be expected of them. Nevertheless, they are the kind of players who can handle pressure and still do quality work on the pitch. Though they haven’t yet reached their pinnacle, once they do, reporters will stop asking these questions.