Former Chelsea player Mikel stated in his podcast "Obi One" that Chelsea's inability to adequately recruit midfielders during the summer transfer window is now costing manager Enzo Maresca dearly.

Since Enzo Maresca's arrival, Chelsea had a promising start to the season, but their form has declined in recent weeks, first losing to Arsenal and then drawing 2-2 at home against newly promoted Hull City. The Blues have few problems in attack but their defence is clearly vulnerable, having scored 18 goals while conceding 12 in 6 matches across all competitions this season.

Chelsea signed World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez and French defender Lacroix this summer to bolster their defence, but it is evident the team needs further work defensively. However, Mikel believes the real issue lies in midfield, particularly the absence of Caicedo. The player has featured only 14 minutes this season due to a calf injury.

Mikel said: "We miss Caicedo, and once he returns, I think we will be a much more stable team. He is the one who disrupts opposing attacks and protects the defence. Our defence is not actually bad. The energy, the tackles, the build-up play and the attacking contribution he provides are very similar to what Rice does for Arsenal. That's how Caicedo helps us, and his absence has had too big an impact. As soon as he comes back, I think we will be much better, there is no doubt about that."

Without the Ecuadorian international, Enzo Maresca has frequently deployed Lavia and Reece James in midfield, with the captain no longer appearing to be considered a right-back.

Chelsea currently lacks midfield depth because the club failed to find a replacement for Enzo Fernández during the transfer window, who joined Manchester City on deadline day for a record £125 million.

Chelsea came close to signing highly promising young talent Lamine Camara from Monaco, but the deal fell through at the last moment, frustrating Mikel: "This is a position the club failed to strengthen during the transfer window, and we have failed. We knew very early that Enzo Fernández wanted to leave the club. Yes, we have £125 million extra in the bank, but we failed to sign another player, so now we are suffering the consequences."

"We keep talking about the goals we are conceding. Yes, you can blame the defence, but in this system you need at least two defensive midfielders to protect and cover the defence. You have to do it, otherwise the defence will be exposed."

"Players like Palmer, Rogers, João Félix... they won't make as many defensive recoveries as others. We don't want to drag them back to defence because their job is to defend around the midfield line, and when the ball comes to their feet, what they need to do is what they do best: create chances, score goals. We don't want them wasting too much energy chasing people to defend, because once they have the ball, they need that energy to drive forward."

"So when Caicedo returns with his stamina, his energy, his ability to cover two or three positions, to help the team win tackles, it will make us much more stable. We absolutely need his return. Yes, we lost Enzo Fernández, but I think if Caicedo can get back into the team, we will become a much better side because we are conceding too many goals. It's incredible—we can't win by scoring four or five goals every match. We should be able to score two goals and the match should be done."

Traduit par IA.

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