Chelsea news comes as Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi admits his team isn’t ready to replace the void left by Moises Caicedo’s £115 million move to Stamford Bridge.
Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi has stated that his team is not’ready’ to replace the vacuum left by Moises Caicedo’s summer departure to Chelsea. The Ecuadorian international joined Chelsea in August for a British record cost of £115 million.
The Blues spent many months attempting to bargain with the Seagulls for the 21-year-old’s talents, with a deal eventually going through for an eight-year contract. Despite a rough first cameo against West Ham, the star has adapted into Chelsea’s midfield nicely, playing with Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher for the majority of his early minutes in a Blues shirt.
However, De Zerbi’s team appears to be reeling from the move, having won just one of their past four games in all competitions, including a 1-0 loss to Chelsea and Caicedo in the Carabao Cup in midweek. They were also destroyed by Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, who scored three goals and provided two assists in the weekend’s 6-1 triumph over Brighton.
While De Zerbi continues to experiment with his midfield in effort to recover Caicedo’s lost physicality and dynamic play style, it appears that the combo of former Blue Billy Gilmour and rookie Jack Hinshelwood will not be the answer. Of course, for such a large fee, Brighton were bound to bring in players to’recreate’ Caicedo.
To compensate for losing the 21-year-old, James Milner, Mo Dahoud, and Carlos Baleba were all brought in late in the summer, but with Milner injured, Dahoud on the bench against Villa, and Baleba not included in the squad at all, it appears that it may take longer than De Zerbi wants.
Following their devastating defeat to Villa, the Seagulls manager was brutally honest, claiming that some of his stars lack the physical attributes required.
“We’re conceding a lot, but listen, we have to speak honestly,” he stated after the game. “We lost Caicedo, and we lost very important traits.”
“We’re playing differently because only Baleba has the same characteristics as Caicedo.” Baleba is not yet ready. We are not prepared to compete and play once every three days.
“Physical energy is insufficient; in football, you must be prepared to give your all and your best in the head and in the mentality.” We can’t afford to lose every tackle, duel, and second ball, or we’ll lose the game.
“But I believe in my players because I have great faith in the people in my dressing room; we are suffering greatly as a result of this defeat, but this can happen if you are not prepared, and you must adapt quickly.”
“We must learn. We’re in pain, it’s a tough day, but it may be one of the most crucial days – we want to get to this level.”
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