Moises Caicedo has revealed the reason behind Chelsea’s poor pre-season performances, blaming their form on the quality of USA ‘pitches’.
Chelsea, currently on an American tour, were held to a 2-2 draw by League One side Wrexham AFC in California before being thumped by Scottish club Celtic 4-1. However, the Blues defeated Mexican team Club America 3-0 but then lost 4-2 to Premier League champions Manchester City at Ohio Stadium.
With Chelsea set to face Real Madrid in their next match, in North Carolina, Caicedo was asked to explain why the London Club haven’t been doing so well in the United States.
‘It’s not the same to play as in Europe as the pitches are so good in Europe and here they are not so good,’ the Ecuador international midfielder said.
‘The pitches are so dry, we know we are players with amazing qualities but sometimes it is not you, it’s the pitches.’
Caicedo also spoke about his decision to snub Liverpool in order to join Chelsea from Brighton in August 2023, as the Blues paid a British-record fee of £115m.
‘It was a difficult decision because you know Liverpool is a big team,’ the 22-year-old added.
‘But Chelsea were with me for a couple of months and I felt like I couldn’t miss this move.
‘They were with me in tough times when Brighton didn’t want to let me go. It was a difficult decision, but 100 per cent the right one.’
Caicedo has played 48 matches for Chelsea to date and will be hoping to go up a level under new head coach Enzo Maresca, who replaced Mauricio Pochettino.
