Moises Caicedo angered Chelsea teammate despite restoring order to midfield vs Bournemouth
Moises Caicedo made his first start of the season on Saturday in Chelsea’s 5-1 victory over Bournemouth.
The midfielder was struggling with an injury before the international break, but he has fully recovered and was able to play just over 70 minutes of football. Xabi Alonso will be pleased with Caicedo’s contribution, but it was his midfield partner Jordan Henderson who stole the show.
Henderson scored twice and provided an assist as Chelsea tore Bournemouth apart. It was just what they needed after losing 3-0 to Brentford in September.
Pedro Neto was fuming with Moises Caicedo after not receiving pass
Henderson and Caicedo both had good games, but there were a couple of moments during the match when they left Pedro Neto far from happy. Neto has become known as a bit of a moaner among the Chelsea fan base, and you could see why on Saturday.
As per football.london, Neto lost it with both Caicedo and Henderson after they had opportunities to play him through down the right but failed to. In the end, it obviously did not matter.
Chelsea put FIVE past Bournemouth – who was your Man of the Match?
Braces for Jordan Henderson and Joao Pedro 👀
Chelsea still managed to win comfortably, with Neto also performing well alongside Caicedo and Henderson. It was the 26-year-old who set up the Blues’ third goal at the beginning of the second half after his low cross found Joao Pedro, who converted his chance emphatically.
Marco Palestra has returned from injury, but Neto should remain the first-choice right wing-back for the time being. He is doing an excellent job in that role going forward, and Saturday’s game was another example.
Neto can improve his defending and positioning, but that is to be expected. He is an attacker playing in a new position that involves defending.
How Moises Caicedo restored order to Chelsea’s midfield in Bournemouth victory
Truthfully, Neto should just be grateful that Caicedo is back. It has only been one game, but Chelsea already look much better in the middle of the park with him there.
Caicedo stops attacks, which you can see from his stats. According to Sofascore, the Ecuadorian made three successful tackles and two interceptions before being replaced by Romeo Lavia. In total, he made nine defensive contributions, more than any other Chelsea player.
It is not a coincidence that Chelsea have managed to limit their opponents to just one goal in Caicedo’s first start of the campaign, and they nearly even kept a clean sheet. It is one game, but the former Brighton & Hove Albion man appears to have restored some order to a Chelsea side who have known nothing but chaos this season.
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