Moises Caicedo is set to play his previous side Brighton in the Premier League for the first time, and Mauricio Pochettino has discussed the midfielder’s adjustment to life at Chelsea before of the clash.
Caicedo joined the Seagulls in August after a lengthy transfer controversy. Liverpool were apparently interested, but Caicedo chose Chelsea because he supports the team and is excited about the construction project.
Caicedo has shown glimpses of his finest in 14 outings for the Blues. While Pochettino is aware that there will be much more to come, he has cautioned against expecting too much too soon.
“Moi arrived when we were already playing Premier League games, with no pre-season, and the emotional situation that happened with him,’ said Pochettino.
“We knew what was going to happen. He’s an emotional person who needs time to recover from that. If you want to express your talent, you need to be right here feeling your best.
“The process is to play, to train, to be together. The international games haven’t helped, travelling to South America every month. He has had 25, 30 days with us, then 10, 12 days away, then comes back some small injuries. That didn’t help. It’s not an excuse, but it’s the reality.”
Pochettino expects that a clean run at Cobham in the coming weeks and months will hasten Caicedo’s integration. He also admitted that the 22-year-old has joined a team that is still finding its feet, rather than one that is accustomed to each other and to winning.
“We need time. Of course, my mentality is that we need to perform, but in his situation, we need to give him time and not be unfair in the way we assess him.
“His position in the spine of the team is very important. We need him to start performing like we expect, but at the same time, we need to understand he is building towards his best moment.
“It’s tough for him, but it’s tough for everyone. The expectation is different, the badge is different, the context is different. It’s about time to fit in and to start to perform. That is why we have no doubt it is only time.”
