London is Blue Dispatch #035

As two more starting players, Ben Chilwell and Levi Colwill, slipped back on to the infamous injury report to push the absentees back up to double digits (nearly half the squad), there may seem even fewer reasons to abandon the pursuit of finding some optimism before the end of the season. With one goal in his last nine, even ice-cold Palmer has slowed down in the heat. In the midst of this collective nosedive, however, one player is quickly turning around a slow start to life at the club, turning bedlam and anarchy into his trial by fire.

Moises Caicedo arrived at Chelsea for a price tag that made him the 4^th most expensive player in PL history, a price tag he himself claims drew massive pressure. That pressure aside, imagine being expected to fill into the meteor-sized hole left in midfield after the departure of his idol, N’golo Kante, a colossus in size 7 boots.

After an intense transfer saga where he turned down Liverpool’s incredible offer, he arrived at the Bridge without a preseason, without match sharpness and under the weight of tremendous expectations. On debut, he struggled to acclimatize to the pace of West Ham’s transitions after coming on, committing a couple of huge errors, the latter involving giving away a penalty to seal a 3-1 loss. Dreadful performances against Brighton and Newcastle only compounded fears of another expensive mistake made in the transfer market.

And yet it has been a little over 6 months since his Chelsea debut. He has only started 63 times in the Premier League this far. It is quite jarring to realize he only turned 22 in November. That’s how distorted reality has become, as the situation at the club continues to take on a more surreal twist by the day. Caicedo, though, hasn’t just been here before, he has been through worse. When he was a boy back in Santo Domingo, Ecuador, he had to borrow football boots and needed his first coach, Ivan Guerra, to pay his bus fare. When he arrived at Independiente, he ruptured a cruciate ligament, a serious injury that required a second surgery after the first one left apprehension. Moises confessed to locking himself up in his room and crying frequently during the nearly year-long lay-off from football.

The Water Carrier

That resilience has shone through despite a spell riddled with misfortune for the club these past few weeks. He was easily one of the best players for the Blues in the Carabao Cup final, arguably the best on the pitch for either side post the hour mark. Against Brentford he was again one of Chelsea’s better players, offering a riposte of fire and steel against a side made to overwhelm opponents physically. Two assists in his last seven games, both owing to well-executed passes, also reiterate his burgeoning influence further up the pitch.

A great defensive midfielder, in many ways, is like God. It moves in quiet, elusive ways. You do not see it, do not feel its presence, do not remember it exists, until something goes horribly wrong. In a side reliant on reckless, fast breaks to create chances and score, Caicedo’s role has primarily been that of a water-carrier rushing to put out fires. A highly volatile role has only been made tougher by Enzo Fernandez struggling with a hernia issue until recently, the lack of any senior midfield depth and a lack of familiarity with those around him.

Despite the chaos, it was only a matter of time before El Niño Moi radiated the kind of quality that made Brighton reject a cascade of increasing bids from Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea (and an Instagram plea from Caicedo himself.) It is rare to find a central midfielder who is a press-resistant passer and mover, a combative and mobile destroyer and an accomplished first phase conductor rolled into one. They are usually found in three different players worth 50m each in the modern day transfer market. Investing 100m in a player that can do all three may yet prove to be a shrewd move.

Takes Two To Tango

In the 42^nd minute of the game vs Fulham in October, Caicedo found himself swarmed by three Fulham players in his own half after a throw in. Enzo, sensing trouble, dropped deeper to offer himself as an option. Caicedo simply looked up once and hit a superb switch over the heads of two Fulham players and Enzo to Colwill on the left flank. Enzo, already jogging forward to join the attack, turned around and applauded in admiration. It’s easy to play with him,” Caicedo told the official website recently. “We have the same language on the pitch and help each other.”

After a torrid start for the 100m men, both are slowly showing signs of developing a cadence essential for a midfield pivot’s seamless functioning. There have been missteps in syncing Enzo’s tango to Caicedo’s pasillo, but slowly and surely, there is improved rhythm in their movement, lucidity in their shared intent. There is a growing sense that when one becomes better, the other will too.

As Chelsea face Newcastle in a must-win game, both sides arrive ravaged by injuries. With Joelinton injured and Tonali out, Newcastle’s midfield will rely more than ever on the metronomic qualities of Bruno Guimaraes to help keep their side ticking. The job of sabotaging that cog in Newcastle’s machine will fall squarely on the shoulders of Caicedo. With fewer and fewer season-defining encounters left, especially against rivals competing for the same league positions, this is as good an opportunity as any for the soft-spoken Ecuadorian assassin to stamp his authority on one of the league’s best CMs and reaffirm his place among the best in the business.