Moises Caicedo could begin working with Xabi Alonso on the training pitches at Cobham in no time at all if Ecuador fail to qualify for the knockout stages of the World Cup.
Moises Caicedo etched his name into the history books during Ecuador’s clash against Curacao. Although Sebastian Beccacece’s side were held to a goalless draw at the Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday, leaving qualification to the World Cup knockout stages all to play for when they face Germany on Thursday, the Chelsea midfielder made quite the impression.
La Tricolour suffered a late defeat to Côte d’Ivoire in their opening match, so Caicedo was tasked with guiding his country to victory. The 24-year-old stepped up to the plate, shouldering the great responsibility of progressing the ball up the pitch, orchestrating attacks and breaking up play.
Caicedo completed more passes than any other Ecuadorian has ever managed in a single game at the World Cup, with 100 out of 112 finding a teammate. The Blues star also created four chances and completed five crosses, while retrieving possession on 10 occasions.
La Tricolour enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and, despite a steady flow of service from the middle of the park, they failed to beat Eloy Room after 28 attempts at goal. The Curacao shot-stopper also etched his name into the tournament’s history books, matching the number of saves Tim Howard made (15) against Belgium in 2014.
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Ecuador were ultimately held to a draw, putting any hope of qualifying for the round of 32 in doubt. In addition to the first- and second-place teams from the 12 groups, eight of the third-place teams also squeeze into the knockout stages of the World Cup.
It’s unlikely that a point or two would be enough to progress, so Beccacece’s side needs to beat Germany in the final group stage fixture at the MetLife Stadium on Thursday night. Speaking to reporters following the clash against Curacao, La Tricolour’s head coach insisted that their campaign is ‘not over yet’.
“Life has taught me you have to always continue to work, always learn, and challenges can become opportunities,” said Beccacece, as quoted by Reuters. “It is normal now to feel this pain, this disappointment, but this is not over yet.
“We have 100 minutes ahead of us, and we’re going to be there in a sound way to try to reach our goals,” he added. “There are things you cannot explain in soccer.
“Anything I say might be counter-productive. We wanted to win. We didn’t do it. I am the one who bears the responsibility. The team deserved more than they got.”
Regardless of the result, Caicedo made an excellent impression and reminded Xabi Alonso exactly what he can produce at the very highest level. If Ecuador fail to progress to the knockout stages of the World Cup, the Chelsea midfielder will be available to play the first pre-season friendly of the summer: Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday, July 28, at the Accor Stadium in Sydney, Australia.
Last summer, on the eve of the Club World Cup, which the Blues later won, FIFPRO demanded a mandatory four-week break at the end of each season. Then, following a meeting with player unions, FIFA compromised and agreed to give players a three-week break.
They said: “There is a consensus that there must be at least 72 hours of rest between matches, and that players should have a rest period/holiday of at least 21 days at the end of each season.”
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