There was a lot of interesting stuff going on in Chelsea’s win over Tottenham last Saturday, both on and off the pitch.
But it’s impossible to write anything about that game and not write about Moises Caicedo. It doesn’t matter that every pundit, player and both managers have already done so. That still won’t be enough to explain just how good and just how important he was.
Caicedo wins the game and earns fitting Kante comparisons
It was fitting that in a game where Chelsea repeatedly failed to turn their dominance into goals, the midfielder ended up being the one to decide the game. Already his team’s main ball-winner and progressor, Caicedo realised he was going to have to be their creator too. He stormed forwards, won 3 challenges in a row and battered his way into the box, where he put the ball on a plate for Joao Pedro to finish.
If the Brazilian had hesitated, we have no doubt that Caicedo would have been on hand to force the ball into the net too. Comparisons to N’Golo Kante are often made but rarely appropriate. In this case, you could get away with them.
As with Kante, however, Chelsea need to make sure they don’t end up becoming dependent on a midfielder’s superhuman abilities. In a strange way, having such an exceptional player can end up hurting the team as a whole – every time Kante was removed from the lineup, the rest of the squad would realise they had forgotten how to win games without the help of a force of nature. They must avoid the same issues with their new edition.
Will Faulks @willfaulks
In other news…
Along with Caicedo, Cole Palmer is one of our best players for a long. Former Chelsea man Geremi spoke about him today, comparing him to Frank Lampard in his pomp.
Morgan Rogers is a close friend of Palmer’s, and has long been linked with a move to Chelsea. He’s just signed a new contract, but that doesn’t necessarily make a deal less likely.
More Stories about Moises Caicedo
Moises Caicedo kisses the Chelsea badge.
Gary Lineker on his podcast The Rest Is Football.
Cole Palmer grabs the ball