According to The Times, Chelsea's 2-1 defeat to Arsenal exposed the team's lack of midfield control once again. Compared to Enzo Fernández, who has already left, the player Xavi Alonso misses most at this moment is Moisés Caicedo, who is sidelined by injury.

Arsenal's winning goal came after a huge gap opened up in Chelsea's midfield defense. Ødegaard was unmarked at the edge of the penalty area, and no one tracked him in time, allowing him to deliver a devastating strike. At that moment, Alonso had moved Reece James into midfield to partner with Romeo Lavia, but neither could fill the space in time.

At the 60-minute mark, Alonso replaced Lavia with Gusto, meaning Chelsea essentially finished the match with two converted fullbacks in midfield. By contrast, Arsenal's bench still had experienced midfielders like Bruno Guimarães, Jùbilé Zubimendi, and Mikel Merino—highlighting a clear gap in squad depth between the two teams.

Alonso was reluctant to use injuries as an excuse after the match. He said: "It's easy to talk about absent players after a loss, but I don't want to do that. I'm satisfied with the players I have. Every manager has to deal with injuries and suspensions. It's impossible to have a full squad for every game. But these absent players are top-level players, and if they were here, we would certainly be much stronger."

It's easy for outsiders to blame Chelsea's failure to bring in a timely replacement after Enzo Fernández's departure. However, the report suggests that even if Enzo were still here, he might not have solved Chelsea's most pressing defensive issues.

What's truly missing is a defensive midfielder like Moisés Caicedo—one who can cover wide areas, make tackles, win the ball back, and fill spaces at the right time.

Alonso's current playing philosophy inherently involves taking risks. He doesn't want his team to defend deep for long periods. Instead, he demands high pressing, higher positioning, and efforts to dominate the game. This style naturally leaves space behind, and Caicedo is the best "cleaner" in the team.

Currently, Chelsea's squad has no true replacement for him.

The 36-year-old Jordan Henderson is sidelined by an arm injury, and even when fit, he would struggle to cover the wide areas the way Caicedo does. Dario Essugo, who joined from Sporting last summer, was initially seen as Caicedo's successor but has failed to meet expectations and was loaned to Strasbourg. The 21-year-old Barko is a completely different type of midfielder.

Caicedo's specific injury status has not been disclosed. He played 76 minutes in his last pre-season match against Real Sociedad and missed the first Premier League game. In the Brighton match, he was substituted just 14 minutes after coming on. Alonso said he "doesn't want to make the same mistake again."

This suggests Chelsea is being extremely cautious with Caicedo's usage. Since 2023, he actually hasn't missed many Chelsea matches due to injury, but from 2026 onwards, his physical issues have become noticeably more frequent. He was absent during the October international break last year, and Maresca also mentioned his knee problems in December.

The Times believes Chelsea's current open and fast-paced style of play is also partly related to the fact that Alonso has only just taken over the team. Players' movement off the ball and positioning are still not sophisticated enough, and there are often half-beat hesitations in defense—at the top level, such brief pauses are enough to create huge gaps.

Alonso also acknowledged this: "We need to do better and learn from these matches because this is the highest level. Against the best opposition, we need to be more effective and more precise at every stage of the game. But this is where we are. This is only our third game in this new cycle."

By contrast, Arsenal's off-the-ball movement is already very mature. Their defensive positioning, pressing, and cover defense have become almost instinctive reactions—and this is one of the biggest differences between the two teams right now.

Therefore, the report suggests that while Chelsea certainly needs time to adapt to Alonso's new system, in the short term, Caicedo is the player who can best mask these systemic teething problems. As long as he remains sidelined, Chelsea's midfield defensive vulnerabilities will be difficult to truly address.

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