Chelsea were not at their best but got the job done in the Champions League against Pafos at Stamford Bridge.
Moises Caicedo’s goal was enough for the Blues to move back into the top eight of the table, which would be enough to see them automatically progress into the Round of 16.
There was frustration throughout Stamford Bridge for the majority of the game. The likes of Pedro Neto disappointed in our player ratings for the game against the European minnows.
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The Blues were without Cole Palmer due to a tiny injury concern, and there have been frequent fears that they are unable to unlock an opposition side without him pulling the strings.
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Joe Cole names Moises Caicedo as Chelsea’s new most important player
The England international has often been described as the club’s most important player, however club legend Joe Cole believes that responsibility is quickly shifting.
He told TNT Sports that he now thinks that honour belongs to Caicedo after watching him dominate in midfield against Pafos, as well as find the only goal.
He said: “He’s fast becoming the most important player at this club, and that £100m looks like a snip now.”
There was plenty of criticism fired Chelsea’s way when they broke the Premier League transfer record to sign the midfielder, however any talk of that has been silenced by his strong performances.
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Caicedo’s new role under Liam Rosenior
Many Chelsea players are seeing their roles tweaked slightly as a result of Liam Rosenior coming into the club as the new manager.
If you could sign one player to add more experience to this Chelsea team, who would you pick?
Chelsea are the youngest team in the Champions League with an average starting XI age of 24 years and 21 days.
– BBC Sport
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The Ecuador international is no different, despite the fact that he was already one of the best-performing players under Enzo Maresca.
Caicedo has been told to get on the ball more and help dictate play, something which will clearly benefit the Blues due to his underrated array of passing.
It is becoming hard to argue against Caicedo being the club’s most important player, although there will still be hope Palmer’s injury concern does not rule him out of action any longer.
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