Mauricio Pochettino has singled out the Chelsea player he’s convinced will be performing at a much higher level next season.
Blues head coach Mauricio Pochettino has been in a constant battle during his first season in charge to get the best from this squad, which is equally talented but inexperienced.
Chelsea go into their final two matches of the season this week seventh in the Premier League table, so there’s still a good chance they could be playing European football next campaign. First, they travel to Brighton on Wednesday night before hosting Bournemouth on the final day.
Mauricio Pochettino predicts rise of Chelsea player
Pochettino has just made the very interesting prediction that Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo is only going to keep getting better moving into next season.
He’s certainly had a lot of pressure and scrutiny around him this year because of the mammoth £115m transfer fee (Sky Sports), but he’s actually become a key figure in the centre of the park during his debut campaign at Stamford Bridge.
When discussing Blues midfielder Caicedo, Pochettino said via The Mirror: “I expect more from him even if he is doing well. I think next season I have no doubt he will be much better.
“Now he knows what it means to play for Chelsea, all of the pressure off. The players believe in the way that we work and they agree in the way we want to apply our philosophy and the way to play and that is fantastic.
“The idea to have players that really trust and believe and that is why the future will be amazing. He is one of the players that still has room to improve.”
What the stats say about Moises Caicedo
The Chelsea Chronicle feels like Caicedo has got better as the season has progressed, especially when he’s had Conor Gallagher alongside him as his midfield partner.
In fairness, the statistics back up that it’s been a solid first year in west London from the Ecuador international.
FBref, the football statisticians, provide some great data regarding Caicedo’s impact in the Premier League this season.
The Chelsea star has completed 1812 passes this season in the league, which is the 19th most of any player in the division.
Also, Caicedo’s 84 tackles puts him 10th in that metric across the top division this year.
Noni Madueke recently described Chelsea teammate Caicedo as “incredible” via Instagram. It’s maybe time he gets a bit more respect for his importance and development.