Jamie Redknapp fears one of Chelsea’s most expensive recent recruits is turning into ‘a bit of a problem’ for Mauricio Pochettino.
The Blues advanced their hopes of qualifying for Europe next season with a convincing 2-0 win over Tottenham at Stamford Bridge last night.
Goals in each half from Trevoh Chalobah and Nicolas Jackson ensured a valuable three points which lifted Pochettino’s erratic team up to eighth in the Premier League table.
Minus the services of Enzo Fernandez, who has undergone surgery to solve a nagging hernia issue, Chelsea looked a far more cohesive unit than they have done in recent weeks.
The Argentina international has shown only flashes of the potential that persuaded the Blues to break their transfer record to sign him from Benfica in January of last year.
In his absence, Moises Caicedo has finally began to show the form that marked him out as one of the division’s best midfielders during his spell at Brighton.
The Ecuador international dominated the middle of the park against a listless Spurs and Redknapp wonders whether Caicedo is benefitting from the absence of his usual midfield partner.
‘I look at Moises Caicedo who earlier in the season was really poor, so off it,’ Redknapp told Sky Sports.
‘I was thinking what has happened to that player we saw at Brighton. But today we are seeing glimpses of the Caicedo we were speaking of so highly at Brighton.
‘Enzo Fernandez, to a certain extent, is a bit of a problem. I think when I watch him in this league… he’s a World Cup winner but it seems a bit quick for him.
‘He’s been here 18 months, he needs to improve if he’s going to work in the league. There are a lot of positives here but it is going to take time.’
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou, meanwhile, claimed responsibility for an abject display and admitted his players looked to have lost belief in his football.
Postecoglou was animated throughout the game and left frustrated with another disjointed display in attack, with Tottenham only able to produce three shots on target despite boasting more than 62 per cent possession.
‘I feel like we’ve lost a bit of belief and conviction in our football and that is on me to change that. It wasn’t about conceding the (first) goal, it was our approach to playing football and we were nowhere near good enough,’ Postecoglou reflected.
‘It wasn’t a great night and it’s fair to say we didn’t play anywhere near the sort of football and didn’t have the mindset that I expect us to have. That’s on me and I’ve got to take responsibility for that ultimately.
‘I’m the one who is putting them out there and preparing them for it. We were so far off it and I’ve got to look at myself and see how I’m preparing this team for it.
“Like I said, we lacked a real sort of conviction and positive mindset in our football.
‘We didn’t really have any fluency, any sort of aggression with and without the ball. It’s a bit unlike us because if nothing else we’ve always been competitive, especially in the first half it was missing.’
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