Sky Sports pundit and former Arsenal star Paul Merson has singled out a high-earning Chelsea player for some of his lacklustre performances.
Chelsea gear up for Wolves clash
Mauricio Pochettino will be looking to put Chelsea's latest performance, a 4-1 humbling away to Liverpool, behind him as he attempts to salvage something from what has been yet another disappointing Premier League season.
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Europe now looks a dubious proposition at best for the west Londoners who, despite a slight uptick in form with three wins on the bounce before their trip to Anfield, were brutally reminded of their shortcomings by Jurgen Klopp's title-chasers.
Chelsea's need for a world-class striker is pretty evident, with only Man United scoring fewer goals than them out of any side in the top half. Star Napoli striker Victor Osimhen continues to be linked with a summer move to Stamford Bridge, but in the meantime, they must find a way to become more potent in the final third without the Nigerian's help.
Pochettino, speaking ahead of their clash with Wolves this weekend, does say to trust in the process and even makes a Liverpool comparison (via football.london).
"It's important to realise. It's true we want the result today and it was difficult to wait. In the third year of [Jurgen Klopp at] Liverpool, I think they came to Wembley, we were in Tottenham and we beat them 4-1. No-one said it was the end of the world for Liverpool," said Pochettino.
"After that, look what happened. They won the Premier League, the Champions League. In year four, they started to work, that is why after six months when you go and play against Liverpool in the situation they are in, fighting for the Premier League, and have been very consistent for the last few years, it's a solid team. With all the circumstances that happened during the game, and to say that we were not good enough and they were better than us, I think we were there.
"We need to move on and prepare for the next game. It's only the game that we lose."
A few Chelsea players have been criticised for their form over this difficult campaign, but Sky pundit Merson has written for Sportskeeda that £150,000-per-week ace Moises Caicedo quite simply needs to be doing better.
Merson singles out Caicedo amid poor Chelsea form
Indeed, Merson has singled out Caicedo for his poor Chelsea performances this season – claiming his midfield showing, among others, was "embarrassing" against Liverpool.
"Caicedo was signed for €4m by Brighton a few years ago, now suddenly he's the most expensive player in Premier League history? You can't improve that much in 2-3 years, it's impossible," wrote Merson.
Chelsea 2-0 Sheffield United
7.43
Luton 2-3 Chelsea
7.38
Chelsea 3-0 Luton
7.35
Fulham 0-2 Chelsea
7.32
Burnley 1-4 Chelsea
7.19
"You watch Caicedo and compare him to Declan Rice – it's like chalk and cheese! For that fee, you have to grab games by the scruff of the neck and make your presence felt, and I can't remember him doing that too many times at Chelsea. The Blues' midfield was absolutely ripped to shreds against Liverpool and it was embarrassing, to say the least."
The Ecuadorian has made 19 league appearances this season as a mainstay of Pochettino's squad, but according to WhoScored, he just about features in their top 10 best-performers by average match rating.