Enzo and Caicedo: A Chelsea Supporter’s Questions
I would first question whether Enzo and Caicedo fit together. I would question Caicedo’s pointless fouls around the box. I would question Caicedo’s inconsistent passing in the final third. I would question Enzo’s defensive nous and his turning into a cardboard cutout at times in midfield. I question Enzo’s decision-making and speed of decision-making in the final third. I would question Enzo’s terrible finishing.
I want Enzo to become the next Fabregas. I want Caicedo to become the next Makelele or Kante in terms of his defensive work rate and effectiveness. The talent and technique are there. We want them to become better, and I would very much rather not have a coach shield all of these by putting out an ultra-conservative formation with fewer attackers on the pitch. The truth is, we need them and all of our other young players to learn on the job. I fear the only answer to this is time and a coach who will not throw them under the bus after one bad performance and support them all mentally.
Enzo and Caicedo: A Chelsea Supporter’s Answers
Enzo and Caicedo are a partnership that, on paper, should work really well, but the fact that it doesn’t isn’t a damning indictment on the coach. Caicedo formed an excellent partnership with Alexis Mac Allister or Pascal Groß, who are at best just as defensively capable as Enzo is.
I have asked some interesting questions, but there are more important questions to ask the coach that have created the conditions that have led to my queries. My question related to Enzo and Caicedo defensive nous and fouls, but why does the structure have so many gaping holes between the lines that even Kante would struggle to cover, and why is Caicedo frequently alone in midfield?
I complain about Enzo’s finishing and final third effectiveness, but why is Mauricio Pochettino playing him in a position where he is required to be so that despite him never being what he excelled at and it actively detracting from what he does best? Caicedo is our deepest and most defensive midfielder. I don’t get why final third passing should be the focus of his role or assessment of the quality of his performances, especially since he is starved of the ball so much that I don’t know how you expect him to develop any consistency in possession.
I want Enzo to be the next Fabregas (the comparison isn’t particularly accurate), yet you are bringing up goals and the final third despite Fabregas never operating, let alone excelling in those areas. Fabregas’ best ever goal tally for a league season for us was 5 goals; Enzo is already at 3. Enzo is rarely placed in the deep areas that Fabregas operated in, nor is he provided with the runners in front of him necessary to replicate Fabregas’ creativity.
They definitely need to grow to become the best versions of themselves, but with a coach who is handicapping them, time isn’t enough.
The Next Chelsea Coach: Rúben Amorim?
I believe the one thing we need to look after if we are to move on from Mauricio Pochettino next season is that the next coach makes the best use of Enzo and Caicedo, and eventually Lavia and Ugochukwu. That’s where I’m beginning to see some issues with a name like Rúben Amorim.
His current central midfielders pale in comparison to ours, of course. But I see little evidence in him of establishing a system that leads to midfielders getting more touches and thus being more involved in matches.
Otherwise, the system he plays would make Reece, Chilwell, and Conor shine. Not that I am against this prospect, but given how the first two are so injury-prone and how we don’t know whether the latter has a future in the club with a new contract still pending, I wouldn’t want to bring a coach to build upon them, which is, in reflection, what Rúben Amorim would (likely) be.
Verdict:
I think Enzo and Caicedo are excellent players. I think they are alright and would be solid squad players, but he is massively benefiting from our game being built around him. The midfield three is one that should have been used more selectively, not all the time, because Gallagher simply doesn’t offer enough to the attack. That’s why these players are talented; they can be serviceable when asked to do a job in something they aren’t comfortable with.
And the coach should provide a structure where every player is doing a job they are comfortable with 99% of the time, with trust that their talent will carry them the 1% of the time they have to step outside of their comfort zone. The percentages aren’t an exact inverse, but Mauricio Pochettino has the players spending a lot of time doing jobs they aren’t comfortable with, with them getting rare chances to show flashes of their talent on the off chance an opportunity arises where they are tasked to do a job they are comfortable with.