Cole Palmer was probably one of Chelsea’s better players in their 3-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, especially in the first half.
The attacking midfielder had a few shots and also managed to create a couple of chances. With that being said, Palmer has still not been at his best this season and has received a lot of criticism as a result.
Meanwhile, the form of one of his Chelsea teammates has really dropped in recent weeks without much being said.
Chelsea's Ecuadorian midfielder #25 Moises Caicedo (L) challenges Manchester City's Belgian midfielder #11 Jeremy Doku
Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP via Getty Images
Moises Caicedo now deserves as much criticism as Cole Palmer
For a while now, Moises Caicedo has not been performing at his maximum level, and that was exactly the case against City on Sunday.
Caicedo had a shocker and was responsible for City’s third goal after he was dispossessed not too far away from his own box.
The 24-year-old started the season strongly and was even being hailed as the best defensive midfielder in the world at one stage. That now seems like a very long time ago.
In some of Chelsea’s recent games, Caicedo has looked anything but. Against City, Caicedo was actually handed his lowest match rating in the Premier League as a Chelsea player by WhoScored.
What has happened to Moises Caicedo?
Moises Caicedo match rating vs Man City
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Yet despite all of that, the Ecuadorian has not faced too much criticism. In contrast, Palmer continues to come under fire for not playing at the level he reached in the two previous campaigns.
Palmer’s biggest supporters will feel that is not quite fair. Caicedo is also a very important player in this Chelsea team. When he struggles, so does the rest of the side.
He also cost almost triple the amount of money Chelsea paid for Palmer. Liam Rosenior should be demanding much more from the Ecuador international.
Why has Caicedo’s form fallen off a cliff after such a terrific start to the campaign? The former Brighton & Hove Albion man has played a lot of football since the start of last term, while Chelsea have underperformed as a whole under Rosenior. Neither would have helped Caicedo.
Hopefully, he can pick up again between now and the end of May. But if that does not happen, Caicedo needs to be treated the same as Palmer.
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