Chelsea have two players on both ends of the scale who are struggling and in need of confidence after another set of poor results and performances.
A lot of money was splashed on Moises Caicedo in the summer following his transfer from Brighton, whilst Conor Gallagher has come through the academy.
Yes, the latter has performed and looked a lot better this season, but the Chelsea midfield duo aren’t exactly singing from the hymn sheet and dominating proceedings.
Jay Bothroyd thinks Moises Caicedo looks a ‘shadow of himself’ and, just like Conor Gallagher, they are being used in the ‘wrong way’, as he told The Football Show on Sky Sports.
There is a lot of noise around Mauricio Pochettino amid calls for him to be sacked. Back-to-back defeats to Liverpool and Wolves, where they conceded eight goals, have just increased that talk.
Moises Caicedo started that defeat to Gary O’Neil’s side and he did provide a brilliant assist for Cole Palmer’s opener, but then he gave the ball away a minute later to open the door for the Midlands outfit.
It summed up the form and mood of a Chelsea team that will be looking to bounce back against Aston Villa at Villa Park in an FA Cup replay on Wednesday night.
Moises Caicedo and Conor Gallagher in midfield for Chelsea
“You look at Caicedo at Brighton, he looked like a world-beater,” said Bothroyd. “I look at him now and he is a shadow of himself.
“I think he is being played in the wrong way. When I have seen Caicedo at his best. He is more box-to-box. Now he is kind of sitting there like a defensive midfielder trying to knit things together.
“I think he has got the formation wrong. I think he has got the personnel wrong. I look at Gallagher, and when I have seen Gallagher at his best, it was at Palace actually. He was playing like a number ten almost. He was scoring goals, getting forward and pressing.
“Now, even though he has put in some very good performances, he is playing deeper. I just think little details like that are a reason why Chelsea aren’t getting results with all the possession that they have.”
Huge month for Mauricio Pochettino
Starting with this trip to Villa Park on Wednesday night and ending with the League Cup final against Liverpool on February 25.
These are now the two biggest games for Pochettino and his future at the club.
If he loses both, then it wouldn’t be a surprise if he is out of the door by the time the month is out because some are already calling for him to go.
Yes, the Premier League form is still unacceptable, but at the end of the day, as Erik ten Hag found at Manchester United last season, winning a trophy can certainly ease the pressure on everyone.
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