21 August 2023 , 10:01
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Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has given fans an insight into Moises Caciedo's response to a disastrous debut that certainly didn't impress Jamie Carragher.
Both the Blues fans in the away section of West Ham's London Stadium and those watching on at home would have been excited to see the club's new record £115million signing make his first appearance in the shirt. However, after being introduced to the fold in the 61st minute, things soon soured for Caicedo.
After giving the ball away on a number of occasions, the Ecuador international's afternoon reached rock bottom when he gave away a penalty in second-half stoppage time having brought down Hammers full-back Emerson Palmieri. Chelsea were already trailing 2-1 at that stage, but Lucas Paqueta stepped up to put the result beyond any doubt and seal West Ham's 3-1 win.
Come full-time, Pochettino was pressed for comment on Caicedo's less-than-ideal start to life as a Chelsea player, but the Argentine backed his man despite confessing that the 21-year-old himself may be underwhelmed by his first outing.
"He was telling us he was ready, I think 30 minutes is good for him, many positive things and he is maybe disappointed but we need to move on and he will be a good player for us," Pochettino explained. "I cannot change my speech after Liverpool we needed to believe in the process and we need to keep being calm and that is the process."
Carragher doubles down and insists "worst run club" Everton proved him right
Carragher, who was on commentary duty for the clash in east London, was far less kind and tore into Caicedo after he gifted West Ham their third goal from the penalty spot.
"That man Caicedo has had a bit of a nightmare since he came on, you have to say," the Liverpool legend explained. "It’s a poor, lazy challenge. Emerson always knows he’ll get there before him. We all did watching it! He hasn’t started great since coming on."
HAVE YOUR SAY! Was Carragher's assessment of Caciedo's performance fair? Comment below
Moises Caicedo struggled on his Chelsea debut away at West HamThat wasn't the only incident that led to Carragher questioning Caicedo. Just minutes after he had been brought on, the Anfield favourite was less than impressed with an attempt on goal from the Ecuadorian. Carragher added: "He comes in, just his third touch for Chelsea. Not known for his goals, not sure he's been bought for that!"
While Caicedo hardly hit the ground running, Pochettino will undoubtedly be more concerned about the fact that even when boasting a numerical advantage after Nayef Aguerd was sent off, Chelsea struggled to create many meaningful chances.