"He’s been so much better" - Gary Neville heaps praise on Chelsea star who was 'awful' last season

English pundit Gary Neville has lauded Chelsea's midfielder Moisés Caicedo for his outstanding performance this season. This comes after the Ecuadorian, who was highly regarded as a big-money signing, struggled to impress in midfield last season.

Speaking in an interview, Neville had this to say about Caicedo (via Metro):

"He was fantastic at Brighton. He came to Chelsea and looked awful in a Chelsea shirt."

He added:

"That partnership with Enzo Fernandez in midfield just wasn’t working at all. But he’s been so much better this season. So much more settled."

Caicedo joined the Blues from Brighton for a reported €116 million in August 2023. Given his enormous transfer fee, the Blues supporters expected Caicedo to transform the midfield. However, he struggled to enhance the defensive side and outlook of the Blues midfield last season, registering only five goal contributions in 48 games.

Caicedo has had a brilliant start to the campaign this season, having scored one goal and registered three assists in 21 games. In 19 Premier League games, he has registered a passing accuracy of 89.05 percent (919/1032). He has also registered 55 tackles and won 109 out of 185 ground duels contested (via FootyStats).

The Ecuadorian remains a key player in the midfield for the Blues in their quest to secure a UEFA Champions League spot this season.

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"We are far from competing," says Chelsea's manager Enzo Maresca

Ipswich Town FC v CFC - Premier League - Source: Getty

The Blues manager has claimed that his team is far from competing with the best teams in the Premier League. This comes after have failed to win their last three league games.

In a post-match conference after Chelsea's 0-2 loss to Ipswich, Maresca said (via Fabrizio Romano):

"We are far from competing, consistency and being there with the best teams in England."

He added:

"We have to be satisfied where we are but… we need to improve, for sure."

Under Maresca's stewardship, the performance of the Blues has improved in several competitions. The Blues are ranked fourth in the Premier League standings, having registered 35 points from 19 games. They are 10 points behind league leaders Liverpool who have a game in hand.

The Blues will take on Crystal Palace in their next league game on Saturday, January 4.