Pundit Graeme Souness has been particularly critical of two Chelsea players for their performances this season.
He told TalkSPORT that he believes two midfielders at Stamford Bridge have not lived up to the quality they promised since joining the club.
Mauricio Pochettino has ventured hard to try and find the ideal players and tactics for his midfield this season, and has struggled at times to get the best out of a couple of key players.
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Souness criticises Fernandez and Caicedo
Both Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo have been in for their fair share of criticism this season, related to the price tag the club paid in order to bring them in.
However, it should also be stated that talking about their transfer fees has sometimes seen them unfairly treated in the media.
Nevertheless, Souness has claimed the midfield duo need to be putting in far better performances if they are to climb out of mid-table mediocrity at Stamford Bridge.
He said: “Enzo Fernandez, Caicedo, they are not showing £100 million player qualities right now. They have to improve. Jackson up front, has to improve.
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“They will be hoping that this is a learning year and after this – well, not so much for Caicedo or Fernandez, because this is his second year and Caicedo knows about the Premier League. I was trying to cut them some slack there but they have to up their games.
“They are young but they have to start turning up. If they don’t they will have go again in terms of spending money because if that group of players, if that is their quality, they are a mid-table team.”
Fernandez likely to be benched next game
It is unlikely that we will see the South American duo feature together in Chelsea’s first game back after the international break against Burnley.
This is down to the gruelling international schedule the World Cup winner has undergone while representing Argentina, with a fixture scheduled for the early hours of Wednesday morning in the United States.
His presence will be essential when the Blues are in the run in to the end of the season, and therefore he should be protected this weekend with a rest.
