'I expect more' – Pochettino says he wants more from player who’s been superb lately

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino says he is expecting more from one player in his team who has actually been superb for a good chunk of games now.

There has been a large number of current Chelsea players who haven been inconsistent this season, and many new signings that have taken a while to settle in and find their feet at a new club. This is completely normal of course and can happen. But the pressure of playing for a club like Chelsea does not allow for too much patience because they need results and they need to be qualifying for European football at least.

It’s been an inconsistent season for Chelsea overall, and when midfielder Moises Caicedo first arrived from Brighton, he also struggled to find his feet for a little while. However, in a recent number of games, he has been superb and probably one of our most consistent players. He is really proving his worth.

But Pochettino expects more from him and knows he will be even better next season.

In words picked up by The Evening Standard, Pochettino said on Caicedo: “I expect more from him even if he is doing well, I think next season I have no doubt he will be much better. Now he knows what it means to play for Chelsea, all of the pressure off.”

But denied Caicedo is better without his usual midfield partner Fernandez, who opted to have surgery on a hernia problem.

“Enzo is a fantastic player who can fit in any team in the world,” he added. “He will become stronger with one year’s worth of experience. He is going to be fantastic for Chelsea.”

Also praise for Nicolas Jackson

Pochettino added: “Nico has the potential to be a very, very good striker. A fantastic striker. Only it’s about patience and time.

“He got amazing criticism from the beginning because he was compared to [Didier] Drogba from the start.

“When I talk about the history of the club, it’s the same. If you judge, or the people judge us because we are in Chelsea…but we don’t have the same, we are in a process to build too much.

“I am so happy that now the people they start to see Nico in the way we saw. When the player deserves for us to back him, like in the case of Nico.”