Last night saw Ecuador record their first victory of this summer’s Copa America, and they had two Chelsea players to thank for a lot of it.
Moises Caicedo and Kendry Paez started for their nation last night in the 3-1 win over Jamaica, with the latter finding the net from the penalty spot in what was a must-win game.
This saw him become a younger scorer at the South American competition than both Lionel Messi and Neymar, only bringing more excitement as to what the future holds at Stamford Bridge.
Ecuador's forward #14 Alan Minda celebrates scoring his team's third goal with teammate midfielder #23 Moises Caicedo during the Conmebol 2024 Copa...
The club-record signing was phenomenal in the middle of the park again last night, with top performances for his country a regular occurrence right now.
It seems Ecuadorian media think they have put their finger on exactly why he is so impressive for them, and why at times perhaps he did not reach these levels in his first season at Chelsea.
Moises Caicedo given more freedom for Ecuador than Chelsea
According to El Futbolero, the midfielder is offered far more freedom to feature, something they say he was not afforded under Mauricio Pochettino in his first season in West London.
They do go on to say that there was more of this seen in his performances at the end of the campaign, when Enzo Fernandez was not starting games due to his injury.
The Blues operated Marc Cucurella in an inverted role that saw him give a lot of help in the middle of the park, and this allowed Caicedo to be a more creative presence further up the pitch without the risk of leaving the defence exposed to danger.
It remains to be seen what the best combination of midfielders will be decided on by Enzo Maresca when he takes over, and if he can get the best out of both Caicedo and Fernandez in the same starting side.
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