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It comes as no surprise to anyone that Moises Caicedo is carrying a slight knock. Well, it shouldn't, anyway.
The 23-year-old midfielder, who was voted Chelsea's Player of the Season for the 2024/25 campaign, played well over 4000 minutes for the Blues last term in all competitions. Caicedo made 50 - yes, 50 - appearances for Chelsea throughout a season unprecedented in its length due to the west Londoners' participation in the FIFA Club World Cup in the summer.
In total, Caicedo appeared 59 times for Chelsea and Ecuador throughout last season - and, quite remarkably, he did that without missing any matches because of injury. A machine in the Chelsea midfield, but even machines break down from time to time.
It is not quite a 'break down', so to speak, but there is certainly no surprise that Caicedo is not 100% fit at the moment. The Ecuador international sat out of his country's goalless draw with Paraguay in the early hours of Friday morning. Reports from Ecuador state Caicedo was feeling some discomfort and as a precaution, he was rested in Paraguay.
The same report claimed Caicedo is expected to be back for Ecuador's World Cup qualifier against Argentina next week, but this is certainly something that will be playing on Enzo Maresca's mind. The Chelsea head coach has already lost Levi Colwill for the majority of the season after the defender had surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
Cole Palmer has missed two of Chelsea's opening three matches of the campaign because of a groin problem. Colwill was on the pitch for almost 4000 minutes last season while Palmer clocked over 4200 throughout the campaign in all competitions. Couple that with the fact Chelsea had less than two weeks worth of a pre-season because of the Club World Cup finishing in mid-July, and it comes as no surprise whatsoever that these three crucial players have been struggling with their fitness levels at the beginning of the campaign.
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"This is where we are this season. I don't think it's random that our three players with the most minutes last season - Levi, Cole and Moi - Levi is injured, Cole has a problem and today has been Moi's first session since West Ham," Maresca said last week ahead of the win against Fulham. "It's not random. It's probably to do with the amount of minutes last season. It is what it is. We are going to have problems this season, for sure, because of last season. It's about how we adapt and recover."
Caicedo went on to play against Fulham anyway but went down in some pain during stoppage time at Stamford Bridge. In typical fashion, the former Brighton midfielder, who cost Chelsea what was at the time a British record £115million, battled through until the full-time whistle.
Back in March, Chelsea agreed an £18.5million deal with Sporting CP for Dario Essugo to arrive in the summer. The 20-year-old Portuguese midfielder had impressed Blues scouts and they saw attributes of his game that were very similar to Caicedo, football.london understands, although sources at the time - not that they needed to - reiterated the Ecuadorian would remain the first-choice option.
So far, though, we have not seen too much of Essugo. He got about six minutes against Los Angeles FC in the Club World Cup opener and then over half an hour against Esperance in the final group match. The Portuguese then came on very late into the win against Palmeiras in Philadelphia.
Cameo appearances in the two pre-season victories over AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen followed, but we are yet to see Essugo this season for the Blues. A short trip to Brentford comes once the international break has concluded and Maresca could be tempted to throw Essugo in for his first start.
A big ask, yes, but he has to start somewhere - and given Caicedo's fitness issues, is there a better time? After all, Essugo was signed to provide cover and support for the overused Ecuadorian midfielder.
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