‘Emotional’ Caicedo must be clear in his mind says Pochettino

MAURICIO Pochettino has told Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo to free his mind as the Blues boss tries to get the “emotional” Ecuador midfielder back on track.

Pochettino splashed out a British record £115 million (R2.7 billion) to sign Caicedo from Brighton in August.

But the 22-year-old’s frequent 18,000km round trips to South America to play for Ecuador have limited the time he has been able to spend working with Pochettino and his coaching staff.

Caicedo revealed in an interview with Chelsea’s website last week that he spent much of his first 10 days in England alone in a hotel room in tears due to homesickness, after joining Brighton from Ecuador’s Independiente del Valle in 2021.

Caicedo went on to become one of the key figures for Brighton in their rise in the Premier League, sparking a bidding war between Liverpool and Chelsea earlier this year.

“When we signed him, we knew what is going to happen. He’s an emotional guy, an emotional player that needs time to recover,” Pochettino told reporters on Friday.

“It didn’t help also the international games, travelling to Ecuador, to South America. That is really tough every single month, two or three weeks, then go 10, 12 days away, then come back sometimes with some injury.

“It’s not an excuse but it’s the reality. In some situations like his, we need to give time and not to be unfair in the way that we assess him.”

In a bid to help Caicedo settle at Chelsea, Pochettino met with the star one-on-one this week.

The Argentine’s message was to keep calm as Caicedo navigates life at struggling Chelsea, amid Ecuador’s hectic World Cup qualifying schedule.

“We had no pre-season with him. We talk about footballers – it is physical and mental, and there is the talent,” said Pochettino.

“If you want to express your talent, you need to be clear in your mind and be good in your legs. Otherwise, it is not possible to move,” he said.

AFP