Why do Chelsea look short in midfield?

[Getty Images] The primary issue is the absence of midfielder Moises Caicedo, who is out with an unspecified injury for an unknown period after breaking down just 11 minutes into a substitute appearance against Brighton last week. It has left Xabi Alonso in almost uncharted territory for a Chelsea boss. Aside from suspensions, Caicedo had missed only two matches during the previous three seasons, through a knock and illness. Asked about the Ecuador international, Alonso said: "It is about assessing the risk. Probably, last week, we brought him back too early and I don't want to make the same mistake again." It remains unclear whether Chelsea had concerns over Caicedo's fitness while pursuing several central midfielders on transfer deadline day. Monaco pulled the plug on a £47m move for Lamine Camara at the last minute, leaving officials at Stamford Bridge furious. Chelsea said they pursued Camara because of a market opportunity, adding that they were satisfied with their summer business and retained faith in their current options. That was despite selling Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City for a joint British record fee of £125m on deadline day, without signing a direct replacement. However, Caicedo's absence means he joins Jordan Henderson on the sidelines, with the England international still recovering from a broken arm suffered after falling over an advertising hoarding while an unused substitute at the World Cup. Natural midfielder Valentin Barco, who joined from Strasbourg in the summer, has been overlooked in favour of Malo Gusto in all three of Chelsea's Premier League matches so far. With Gusto starting in midfield, Chelsea recorded 25.6% possession in last weekend's 4-3 victory over Brighton, their lowest figure since records began in 2003-04. "I don't think Chelsea can be that frustrated or upset they haven't got more players in, with the number of players they've got on their books," former England captain Wayne Rooney told Match of the Day . "Alonso has got to figure a way out while they've got injuries... find a way. "They obviously won the first two league games of the season, but coming up against Arsenal they see the level the champions have got to and they were a little bit off that." However, if all of Chelsea's midfield options are fit, and Caicedo's injury proves only minor, they should be able to cope with five midfielders in a season without midweek European football, as Alonso argued before the match. Watch Sunday's episode of Match of the Day on BBC iPlayer