Ian Wright has openly condemned Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca for his tactical decision to deploy Moises Caicedo at right-back in their recent defeat to Newcastle United. The Blues are currently fighting for a Champions League place and aiming for Europa Conference League victory.
Chelsea sit in fifth on the Premier League table, the final Champions League spot. They face Manchester United this Friday, then they finish out the Premier League campaign against Nottingham Forest, another contender for a top-five finish. Then, the Blues will wrap up the campaign with a trip to Poland on May 28 to face Real Betis in the Europa Conference League title match.
But their intentions for Champions League qualification were delayed last weekend when Newcastle beat the Londoners in a convincing 2-0 victory. A lot of post-match criticism was reserved for Maresca’s tendency to use £100m midfielder Moises Caicedo as a right-back.
Caicedo has been used in this position to add balance to Chelsea’s midfield during spells of possession. However, Ian Wright feels this is a misjudgment. He said on The Kelly & Wrighty Show:
“It is crazy when you look at who Enzo Maresca has got on the bench and he’s still doing that [playing Caicedo at right-back]. Teams are going to attack him all the time. Whatever he’s saying about getting into midfield and controlling it, you’ve got to get control of the game.”
Wright pointed out Chelsea’s usual right-back Reece James only came on from the bench in the second half, questioning once more Maresca’s tactics. Malo Gusto’s failure to appear was also noted:
“It all comes down to the manager. Unless something has happened with Reece James and Malo Gusto, I don’t know what’s happened. That, for me, is unacceptable… He’s making decisions that are very worrying, especially in that particular incident.”
Peter Crouch Blames Caicedo for Chelsea Conceding Opener
Moises Caicedo has been accused by former England striker Peter Crouch of being responsible for the first goal error that led Chelsea to defeat against Newcastle. On TNT Sport, Crouch analyzed Caicedo’s loss of concentration as the build-up to Sandro Tonali’s goal:
“He definitely switched off. Newcastle started so quickly, perfect start for them. Initially he does really well, Caicedo stays with Anthony Gordon and then they just get themselves in a right mess here. Sandro Tonali’s pressing is unbelievable, his physicality, he’s always on the front foot. And then Caicedo just switches off.”