Ian Wright has been highly critical of Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca for what he’s done with one Blues player recently.
The Blues only have three games left in the 2024/25 season, and everything is still on the line for Enzo Maresca during his first season at Stamford Bridge.
First of all, Chelsea wrap up their Premier League campaign with matches against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest. They’re in a desperate fight to stay in the top five and qualify for the Champions League.
Afterwards, the Blues finish the season with the Conference League final against Real Betis in Wrocław, Poland.
It’s been claimed that members of Chelsea’s boardroom doubt Enzo Maresca because of the style of play he’s implemented at the club, which is centred around dominating possession and building from the back.
It feels like a decisive couple of weeks for the Chelsea manager and everyone at the club.
Ian Wright slams Enzo Maresca for playing Moises Caicedo at right-back
Ian Wright really isn’t impressed by Maresca’s decision to use Moises Caicedo at right-back in recent games, including in Sunday’s 2-0 Premier League defeat away to Newcastle United.
Speaking on The Kelly & Wrighty Show, he said: “It is crazy when you look at who he’s got on the bench and why he’s doing that (playing Caicedo at right-back). You’re going to attack him all the time. Whatever he’s saying about getting into midfield and controlling it, you’ve got to get control of the game…
“It all comes down to the manager. Unless something has happened with Reece James and Malo Gusto, I don’t know what’s happened. That, for me, is unacceptable… He’s making decisions that are very worrying, especially in that particular incident.”
In the previous three league matches, Caicedo has started at right-back. The reality is that he’s in a full-back position when the team is defending, but he drifts into his more familiar midfield role in possession.
The 23-year-old has been one of the best midfielders across the entire Premier League this season, so to alter his role is baffling to most supporters. From Maresca’s perspective, he’s trying to fit Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer into the same XI.
When Malo Gusto and Reece James are both waiting in reserve as conventional right-backs, it feels like the manager may be slightly overcomplicating things.
Enzo Maresca’s verdict on Moises Caicedo’s position is that his best role is playing as a number six midfielder.
Based on what happened at Newcastle, we’d expect to see the right-back experiment binned for the final few games of the season. Incidentally, Pat Nevin said Moises Caicedo struggled at Newcastle when he was playing at a right-back.
The statistic that proves Moises Caicedo must be roaming in midfield
Maresca is no stranger to trying players in various different roles on the pitch, but he’s been rightly called out for the Caicedo experiment. For a trip to St James’ Park, they missed his robustness and energy in the centre of the park in the first half before a switch pushed him back into the midfield.
An eye-catching statistic from WhoScored highlights why Caicedo should be the first name in Chelsea’s midfield.
Fans won’t be surprised to see Caicedo top of the pile when it comes to possession won in the midfield third because he’s such a nuisance to opposition teams.
