The Moises Caicedo injury is turning out to be a very bad one for Chelsea, as the Blues drew with Hull City 2-2 in their last match and now have seven points from their four Premier League matches. The Moises Caicedo injury means that he has played in only a solitary match for Chelsea this season, and in his absence, Reece James, Romeo Lavia and Malo Gusto have been playing in the double pivot alternately, but it has not solved Chelsea’s problems.
Moises Caicedo Injury: Chelsea’s Defence Has Been Left Exposed
The Moises Caicedo injury means that the Chelsea defence is no longer protected in the way it should be. The Blues have conceded 12 goals in six matches across all competitions this season, which is not at all acceptable. Their attack has been good in the presence of Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro, but their defence needs improvement definitely. James and Gusto are right-backs who are being forced to play as defensive midfielders. James has played there in the past, but had Caicedo alongside him while doing so.
Caicedo is into his fourth season at Chelsea and has played in 149 matches so far for the West London club. He will turn 25 in November and should be in his prime as a footballer now. The Moises Caicedo injury has meant that the likes of James, Lavia and Gusto have not been able to anticipate danger and get into position to block goal-bound shots on the edge of the Chelsea penalty box.
It was evident in the way Arsenal scored their two goals in their 2-1 win over Chelsea a couple of weeks ago. Kai Havertz’s shot from outside the box went into the goal without any resistance, and then James was unable to stop Odegaard’s run into the box for the latter to score the match-winner.
What it also means is that in the absence of Marco Palestra, the West Londoners are missing James’ services in the position of the right wing-back. Pedro Neto, the left-footed winger, is being forced to play as the right wing-back, but he is not equipped enough defensively and had a hard time containing Christos Tzolis in the match against Arsenal. Thus, the Moises Caicedo injury is hurting Chelsea in more ways than one. Xabi Alonso will hope that the 24-year-old Ecuadorian is back into action as soon as possible because without him, the Chelsea defence is looking seriously vulnerable.
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Extra Time Notes
Caicedo is still nursing an injured calf, but might be back in the match against Brentford on Friday, September 18. However, his return on Friday is still not certain. If he is fit for the match, James should be starting as the right wing-back, with Lavia partnering Caicedo in the double-pivot.
Caicedo’s presence should ease the pressure on the back-three somewhat. Playing with a three-man defence and a specialist winger as one of the wing-backs is not the ideal way to go about things, but Chelsea have been forced to do so. It remains to be seen whether Caicedo’s return from injury can solve Chelsea’s problems. The Moises Caicedo injury has shown Chelsea’s defence to be one of the most porous ones in the Premier League, but hopefully his return will make things better for them.
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