Moises Caicedo has opened up on the struggles he has faced since his big money move to Chelsea last summer and thanked former boss Mauricio Pochettino and his staff for helping him.
Caicedo’s time at Chelsea has been far from easy thus far. Since joining £115m just under one year ago, he has struggled to live up to his price tag and replicate the form which saw him signed from Brighton.
Now facing the loss of his midfield partner and regular captain Conor Gallagher, who he called an “amazing player,” he finds himself in a new leadership role in Chelsea’s young squad.
Speaking to reporters on Monday night, he recalled feeling the weight of his price tag throughout last season, admitting that he struggled to live up to the hype that came with it, though added that now departed manager Pochettino and his staff were key to helping him adapt.
“At the beginning it was tough for me to be at such a big club. With the price, you always have to win every game and it was tough for me because in Brighton the pressure was less. In Chelsea it is different.
“I felt a lot of pressure, it was really tough for me at the beginning to be there, but after the last four or five months I felt more comfortable in the club. A lot of people around me helped me. I came to [Pochettino’s staff] when I felt that I was not the same Moises, and asked please help me to show my quality, my football.”
He added that receives external coaching on self-confidence, saying that he has “a person with me outside the club who helps me a lot to get the pressure out of my mind.” He did not specify the nature of this person’s role, though, simply saying that the pair analyse match film together and work on the mental side of his game, particularly self-belief.
“I have the quality, I know the player I am, but if you are not strong in your mind it is difficult,” Caicedo said.
In choosing to sign with the Blues, the midfielder snubbed Liverpool. The decision, he says, was “difficult, so difficult, because as you know Liverpool is a big team, but Chelsea was with me for a couple of months and I cannot miss [the opportunity]. But 100%, I knew I wanted to join Chelsea.”
Looking ahead to the new season, the Ecuador international is feeling optimistic, saying that new head coach Enzo Maresca’s style is closer to that in which he excelled at Brighton. The coach has called on Caicedo to set the example for his teammates.
“[Maresca] plays the same system as I played at Brighton. He wants the same, wants me to show my quality, have a good personality, show my teammates that I am the boss on the pitch. I will be a good player with him.”
FEATURED IMAGE: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images VIA ONE FOOTBALL
