According to The Times, Chelsea's 2-1 loss to Arsenal once again highlighted the team's lack of midfield control. More than the departed Enzo Fernández, the player Xabi Alonso currently misses most is actually Moises Caicedo, who is sidelined by injury.

Arsenal's winning goal came after a glaring gap opened up in Chelsea's midfield defense. Ødegaard found space at the edge of the penalty box completely unmarked, with no one closing him down in time, ultimately delivering the decisive finish. At that moment, Alonso had shifted Reece James into midfield to partner with Lavia, but neither could cover the space quickly enough.

In the 60th minute, Alonso replaced Lavia with Gusto. As a result, Chelsea effectively fielded two fullbacks converted to midfield for the remainder of the match. By contrast, Arsenal had experienced midfielders like Bruno Guimarães, Zubimendi, and Merino available on the bench, highlighting the significant depth gap between the two squads.

Alonso refused to use injuries as an excuse after the match. He stated: "It's easy to talk about missing players after a defeat, but I don't want to do that. I'm happy with the players I have. Every manager has to deal with injuries and suspensions; you can't have a full squad for every game. But these missing players are top players, and with them, we would certainly be stronger."

It's tempting for outsiders to link Chelsea's problems to their failure to replace Enzo Fernández promptly. However, the report suggests that even if Enzo were still there, he might not solve Chelsea's most pressing defensive issues.

What's truly missing is a ball-winning midfielder like Caicedo, who can cover vast amounts of ground, make tackles, regain possession, and plug gaps in time.

Alonso's current tactical approach inherently involves taking risks; he doesn't want his team to sit deep for extended periods, instead demanding aggressive pressing, higher positioning, and attempts to dominate the game. This style naturally leaves space behind, and Caicedo is the squad's best player at "cleaning up" such situations.

Currently, there is no adequate replacement for Caicedo in Chelsea's squad.

36-year-old Jordan Henderson is sidelined by an arm injury, and even when fit, he no longer covers as much ground as Caicedo. Dario Essugo, who arrived from Sporting last summer, was initially seen as Caicedo's backup but has underperformed and was loaned to Strasbourg. The 21-year-old Barco is a completely different type of midfielder.

The specific nature of Caicedo's injury hasn't been disclosed. He played 76 minutes in Chelsea's final preseason match against Real Sociedad, then missed the first Premier League game. Against Brighton, he came on as a substitute but was replaced after just 14 minutes. Alonso commented: "I don't want to make the same mistake again."

This also shows how carefully Chelsea is managing Caicedo. Since 2023, he hasn't missed many Chelsea matches due to injury, but since entering 2024, physical issues have become more frequent. He was absent during October's international break, and Maresca also mentioned a knee problem in December.

The Times believes Chelsea's current open and fast-paced style of play is, to some extent, also attributable to Alonso's recent takeover. Players' positioning off the ball still lacks sufficient refinement, and there are often split-second hesitations in defense; at this level, such momentary lapses are enough to create gaping holes.

Alonso also acknowledged: "We have to play better, and we have to learn from these matches because this is the highest level. Against top opponents, we need to be more efficient and more precise in every phase of the game. But this is where we are; this is only our third game in this new cycle."

Arsenal, by contrast, is already highly mature without the ball; defensive positioning, pressing, and covering are almost instinctive—one of the biggest differences between the two teams right now.

Therefore, the report indicates that Chelsea certainly needs time to adapt to Alonso's new system, but in the short term, Caicedo is the one best equipped to mask these systemic integration issues. As long as he remains unavailable, it will be difficult for Chelsea's midfield defensive gaps to truly close.

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