Chelsea must drop 4/10 star who lost 100% duels

Chelsea finished a testing week with a point at Old Trafford, and when taking everything into account, this should be viewed as a well-earned draw for a resurgent side in the Premier League.

That said, many supporters are bound to be disgruntled by the failure to give Manchester United a licking, for Ruben Amorim has yet to take the reins following Erik ten Hag’s demise and the 13th-placed Red Devils have been mired in a pit this season.

Enzo Maresca’s ball-accomplished squad did not need to cadge purchase at the Theatre of Dreams, having refined and raised their technical level since last term. However, the two sides still managed to negate each other, with a largely uninspired encounter requiring a penalty and a wonder goal to spark life into the closing stages.

And oh how life was sparked. Robert Sanchez’s loose grip on the number one spot between the sticks did not strengthen as he brought down Rasmus Hojlund before 70 minutes, allowing Bruno Fernandes to dispatch his penalty and break the deadlock in Manchester.

But Chelsea rallied. There’s a vim and vigour about this Blues outfit, and falling behind merely spurred them on and saw parity restored.

Moises Caicedo, stand up.

Chelsea’s best player vs Man United

Chelsea signed Brighton & Hove Albion’s prized possession in a deal worth £115m in August 2023, which is a Premier League record. Liverpool were bested in the transfer battle and the Londoners are starting to reap the rewards of their tenacity.

Last season, the Ecuador international didn’t quite bring it all together, often harried and lacking in strength and industriousness. However, he arrived during a wintry period of Chelsea’s modern history, not exactly slotting into ideal conditions.

He’s performed like a man possessed this term, settled and sizzling in Maresca’s system. Against Man United, he showcased the quality that saw such bloated coinage forked out, with reporter Kieran Gill affirming this, saying he was the “best player on the pitch today.”

Bestowing upon the 23-year-old the Man of the Match award would be fair from simply watching his stunning volley to level the scores after Fernandes’ spot kick, but it was a thorough production of midfield mastery that effectively broke the hosts down and stifled their hopes of fluidity.

Oh, Chelsea might not have performed with the slickness and style that has been demonstrated on numerous occasions under Maresca, but Caicedo was not symptomatic of this as he swept through the opposing midfield like a farmer scything through crop.

He won nine duels, completed two dribbles, made three tackles and one key pass (as per Sofascore) in a showing of all-encompassing proportions. Caicedo’s range of control is near inimitable, and he saved one or two of his teammates with his excellent performance.

Malo Gusto, hooked at half-time, certainly being one.

Chelsea’s worst player vs Man United

Gusto played as Chelsea’s right-back against Man United, having started eight Premier League matches this season. The France international missed two games in September due to a muscular injury.

It was an effort to be forgotten, with football.london’s Bobby Vincent rather chasteningly handing the Frenchman a 4/10 match rating, commenting on his out-of-sorts passing and all-round ‘sloppy performance’.

Caicedo, conversely, was a monster in midfield, providing the Blues with an engine to be feared, confident in his distribution and crunching in his ball-winning lunges. It’s fair to say that Gusto was saved by the Ecuadorian’s wonder strike, preventing Chelsea from nursing a third top-flight defeat of the season.

It’s also just to note that Gusto is not a player who suffers a sizeable share of poor displays. Indeed, he’s been one of the finest players in west London this year, so crucial in covering for Reece James throughout the skipper’s injury-ravaged opening months.

But he’s not perfect, and proved as much with an ineffective display against United that will have left Maresca questioning whether to award him with another starting berth next weekend.

He failed to win each of his three contested duels, creating just one key pass despite being wasteful in possession. Though Maresca’s vision of an inverted press, Gusto turning inward to create an overload and allow, say, Noni Madueke to find more freedom and supplementation out on the flank, is worthwhile, it’s not quite coming off.

Not Gusto’s finest hour (or 45 minutes, to be precise). He is a high-class defender and a credit to Chelsea’s backline, but perhaps it’s time to drop the young buck, for James is back and performing admirably, but is clearly not at his best on his left.

Why Maresca must drop Gusto

Marc Cucurella was introduced at the interval, but a cynic might muse that the damage to Chelsea’s fluency was already done. This was the third successive Premier League match that Maresca had persisted with a typical right-back playing on the other side of the backline.

Gusto’s withdrawal at half-time was an acceptance of a plan gone wrong by Maresca, for James, who had indeed been operating at left-back, was moved back to his natural position and found greater freedom to move forward and influence attacking play.

It’s not a concern that Gusto toiled at right-back, for he has been so constant in his good efforts for the Stamford Bridge side, however, Maresca must surely recognise that Cucurella deserves a recall to the backline, and James, who is fit and firing once more, must of course start ahead of the Les Bleus star.

Gusto might not have been the one to play on the left, but he still plies his trade in a somewhat unnatural role, oft-curving inward to accommodate the inverted overloads that are inherent to Maresca’s Pep-Guardiola-scented style.

Maybe it’s high time to start a left-back at left-back, and let James play with the unfettered freedom that fits his world-class qualities, back on the right.

Sure, Gusto is a terrific young player, but it might be wise to move him to the bench for next weekend’s Premier League contest, at home against none other than Arsenal.