MAURICIO POCHETTINO must make changes to his midfield setup to get the best out of £220million stars Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.Chelsea are sitting 10th in the Premier League and now they are facing an uphill battle to even reach the final of the Carabao Cup following their 1-0 defeat in the semi-final first leg against Middlesbrough.
Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo have failed to live up to their price tagsCredit: Getty
But Mauricio Pochettino can get the best out of the pair with some clever adjustmentsCredit: AFP
As we enter 2024 the optimism felt by the Chelsea fanbase at the start of the season appears to have all but disappeared.
Fault for Chelsea’s poor season cannot be put down to a lack of spending as during the last summer window the board sanctioned some significant investment.
While they have been unfortunate to have only just got Christopher Nkunku into the squad following injury and with Romeo Lavia still out of action the bulk of their new signings have been available.
One of the areas that the club invested in most heavily was the midfield with Lavia joined by Lesley Ugochukwu and, most significantly, Caicedo who was signed for £115m from Brighton in the summer.
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Given that last season saw them spend £106m to bring in the Argentinian midfielder Fernandez from Benfica.
For all that investment, however, Chelsea are still struggling to find quality and consistency in the middle of the park.
Pochettino seems to have settled on a 4-2-3-1 shape with Fernandez and Moises Caicedo as the double pivot at the base of the midfield.
Despite the two having real quality and despite being a good partnership on paper, we have yet to see the Chelsea midfield really dominate a game.
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How Chelsea lined up against Middlesbrough, with Fernanadez playing deeper than both Gallagher and Caicedo
The key seems to be in the way that the Argentinian coach is using his two star midfielders and small tweaks to the positioning and role of the two could actually make the difference.
In this article, we will look at these changes and make suggestions that could improve Chelsea in the middle of the park.
Understand what made Caicedo great last season
Caicedo has had something of a meteoric rise having started playing early at professional level in his native Ecuador he caught the eye of scouts across Europe quickly and Brighton were able to snap him up.
When Caicedo first arrived in Europe he went out on loan to play for Beerschot in the Belgian top-flight.
Interestingly, he struggled during this loan move and did not look ready for the Prem.
Brighton, however, saw things differently and during the 2022/23 season Caicedo established himself as one of the most impressive and interesting midfield players in the Premier League.
The key lay in the way that Brighton used Caicedo from a tactical perspective.
He became key in the way that Brighton built up from the back and he was one of the most progressive midfielders from deep areas as he dropped to receive the ball and then played forward.
Caicedo has played high up the pitch often for Chelsea
Here, as Caicedo receives the ball he checks his shoulder but there are no Chelsea players in the shaded area. Malo Gusto is slow to move forward from right-back and two advanced players are standing side by side. With no option to progress the ball Caicedo just bounces the ball back instead.
The structure for Chelsea can, at times, look untidy with players not spaced properly or grouped together in areas of the pitch.
This is, in part, due to having players who are not completely comfortable in the roles that they are being asked to play.
For the Chelsea midfield to be able to progress the ball properly they have to ensure that there are players who are in pockets of space to receive those progressive passes.
Without these line-breaking or progressive options ahead of the ball for the likes of Caicedo we are likely to see Chelsea continue to be slow and passive in their build-up phase.
With the level of attacking players that the Chelsea coaching staff have at their disposal, they are likely to benefit hugely from being more aggressive and quicker in their ball movement.
This time as Caicedo takes possession of the ball we can see that he does have an option ahead of the ball for a progressive pass, so he plays a ball through the opposition’s defensive structure and finds the teammate outside the area
Caicedo played a much deeper role against Fulham
To get more out of Caicedo the Blues need to involve him more in deeper areas to allow him to build the attack.
There is an argument that he would be better for Chelsea as a single pivot should they move to a 4-3-3 shape.
Give Enzo more freedom
There was a degree of confusion around Fernandez when he was signing for Chelsea from Benfica.
Having just won the World Cup with Argentina it is fair to say Fernandez was a man in demand and this led to the increased fee that Chelsea ended up having to pay to get him to England.
When he first arrived there was a misconception that Fernandez was a ‘6’ whose best role was at the base of the midfield.
Instead, he is more of an ‘8’ whose creativity and ability to break lines and find teammates is more effective in more advanced areas of the pitch.
He is a player whose ability on the ball is best used in the final third.
He is not a safe or passive passer, as we can see at times from Caicedo, and instead, he will attempt more dangerous passes of the ball.
Here, we see Enzo as he has dropped back into a deeper position to receive the ball before passing to the wide player. As he plays this pass he then tries to make up ground with a longer run to get into the opposition half. Caicedo is already in the opposition half so he drops deeper.
Chelsea would get more out of their midfield by simply adjusting the positioning of the two midfielders, with Caicedo playing in deeper areas to allow Fernandez to step forward to find spaces between the lines of the opposition.
While Fernandez is a progressive passer of the ball he does not always find these passes from deeper areas as he sees the role of the deep midfielder as more of a ‘safe passer’.
In August, Enzo Fernandez was outstanding playing mostly in the opposition half against Liverpool
But in December Fernandez played much deeper and was far less effected against Man Utd
This time Fernandez has the ball in a deeper area. As he takes possession there is an option ahead of him to progress the ball, and Caicedo would play this pass. Fernandez instead chooses to play safe with a short pass to a defensive teammate.
Unlocking the ability in the final third of Fernandez should be one of the main priorities for Pochettino at Chelsea.
Getting his fellow countryman on the ball more in the final third would help Chelsea in terms of chance creation and in dominating more from central areas.
What should Chelsea look like in the midfield?
Assuming that Pochettino decides to stick with Caicedo and Fernandez in the midfield, and we think that he should, a move to a 4-3-3 shape would make more sense for them in terms of profiles.
Having Moises Caicedo as the lone ‘6’ at the base of the midfield would allow him to drop into deeper areas to receive the ball and help to build the play into the middle or final third.
Enzo Fernandez as one of the ‘8s’ would allow him to get the ball in more dangerous areas where he can find the final pass and create a threat for teammates.
The issue may be in the third midfielder although the likes of Conor Gallagher could play comfortably as more of a pressing ‘8’ alongside Fernandez.
Getting Fernandez into positions like this more often would be hugely beneficial for Chelsea. His passing ability and willingness to try to play difficult passes in advanced areas would create chances for teammates
This may feel like a small change but positionally there is a huge difference for players if they are asked to play in a double pivot or in a single pivot at the base of the midfield.
This affects their positioning and movement in the build-up phase and in a single pivot there will be more options for players in deeper areas to play into more advanced positions.
Here, we see Caicedo receive the ball from a deep teammate and then immediately play into more advanced team-mates as Chelsea were able to break through the opposition defensive block quickly
Allowing Caicedo to take more responsibility in the build-up phase will make Chelsea quicker and more streamlined as they play forward.
In football, the small details can make all the difference, especially at the highest level.
Although it is tempting to write off the ability and impact of the likes of Caicedo and Fernandez, we still believe that they will come good and develop into an effective midfield partnership for Chelsea.
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Conclusion
Chelsea have invested significantly in their midfield and they have profiles in that area of the pitch that should work together seamlessly.
The key for them, and for Pochettino, is to get these profiles into areas of the pitch that fit their skillset. A small tactical change is all it will take to get more out of the midfield for this Chelsea side. More
