🇪🇨 25. Moisés Caicedo

[Thor 2,704]

He is a weapon. 

They need to start playing someone next to him so he can build from the back not just have 5 players converge on him. 

[Mhsc 1,097]

14 hours ago, King Kante said:

Just out of interest what games in the last three months has he elevated the team, beyond winning the ball in fairly clumsy/rash fashion? 

Every single one of them

We'd be midtable without him

[King Kante 1,643]

2 hours ago, Mhsc said:

Every single one of them

We'd be midtable without him

Funny you say that because in the last ten games we have been midtable. https://www.footballwebpages.co.uk/premier-league/form-guide/ten

Either way, he had to start those games as we had no one else. However, I just don't see how he impacts games apart from being a scrappy ball winner. I just expected more from him considering the way people spoke about him prior to coming. Either way, he'll be starting for the foreseeable. Hopefully he'll pick up the purple patch he had at the end of last season and at the start of this again at some point. 

[Vesper 30,175]

35 minutes ago, King Kante said:

I just don't see how he impacts games apart from being a scrappy ball winner. I just expected more from him considering the way people spoke about him prior to coming.

 

[Vesper 30,175]

Chelsea star who hasn't missed a game at risk of ban for Tottenham & Brentford because of Premier League rule

https://www.londonworld.com/sport/football/Chelsea/Chelsea-caicedo-suspension-yellow-cards-spurs-brentford-5035099

Chelsea will look to keep their bid for a Champions League place on track as they travel to take on Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Ahead of the weekend, the Blues are inside the top four, two points behind Nottingham Forest in third.

The Stamford Bridge outfit are two points above Manchester City and Newcastle United while Brighton are just three points behind in seventh spot. Victory over Arsenal would give their top four hopes a significant boost and further decimate Arsenal’s chances of winning the title.

Maresca admits his long-term goal is to better compete with Arsenal moving forward. He said: “The gap right now is quite big, and the reason why is because they are working with the same manager for five years, so the difference is quite important.

“With the same players, they have already played in some important games, but our target and duty is to close that gap between us and them. In this moment, the table shows the difference is six points, so we are quite close and have ten games to go. We’re not focused on whether they can be three, six or nine [points ahead]. We are focused on our game and how we try to beat them. Hopefully, we can beat them and we will be closer.’”

Premier League suspension rules

Ahead of their clash with Arsenal, the Blues have one player who is facing a two-game ban after picking up an astonishing five yellow cards in his last seven games. Premier League rules state that any players who collect 10 yellow cards in their club’s first 32 games will be handed a two-match suspension. Will Hughes of Crystal Palace and Fulham’s Sasa Lukic are the first two players to hit the 10-caution mark this season but a clutch of players have been booked nine times so far.

One of those is Moises Caicedo, who has really racked the bookings up in recent games. The £115m signing from Brighton has been booked against Wolves, Man City, Brighton, Aston Villa and Southampton. In his last seven games the only matches he wasn’t booked in was against West Ham and the most recent win over Leicester City. If the Ecuadorian picks up a caution against Arsenal, he will be banned for games against Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford after the international break.

Caicedo has played every Premier League game for Chelsea

Caicedo has started all 28 of Chelsea’s Premier League games so far this season, and has been named captain on a handful of occasions by Maresca. The Chelsea boss is clearly a fan of the midfielder, as evidenced by his comments on him last month.

 

Maresca said in early February: “Since we started he has been doing fantastic in all aspects. He’s improving a lot, he’s understanding the game, he’s going in different positions and he’s open-minded. He’s a good guy, he’s humble, he works hard, so for a coach he is the perfect player.

“He’s playing a lot of minutes, but I think if you compare to other players at Liverpool, Arsenal or Manchester City, there are many players that play more than Moi is playing for us. Moi is playing more or less one game a week and at 23 if you cannot play one game a week that means there is something wrong.”

[Stats 7,142]

Palmer will be a candidate but has dipped second half, however nevertheless he still has been good. Cucurella been good  too, however for me Caicedo is our POTS. He was brilliant again tonight. Absolutely phenomenal. What a performance. His tackling is so on point and the way he controls the game in possession also is really impressive. You know he has been very good when no one discusses the price tag anymore. @King Kantemay disagree though.

[Fulham Broadway 17,313]

Solid and flashes of brilliance - you can see why the bindippers wanted him so much

[Fernando 6,585]

We have truly been bless having these types of players. 

Maka, Essien, Kante and now Caicedo. 

Long may it continue. 

[Special Juan 28,141]

Pity we cannot find a striker that can match his qualities 

[King Kante 1,643]

13 hours ago, Stats said:

Palmer will be a candidate but has dipped second half, however nevertheless he still has been good. Cucurella been good  too, however for me Caicedo is our POTS. He was brilliant again tonight. Absolutely phenomenal. What a performance. His tackling is so on point and the way he controls the game in possession also is really impressive. You know he has been very good when no one discusses the price tag anymore. @King Kantemay disagree though.

Tbh, my issues with him is that he isn't my type of player. He had a good game yesterday but my issues with him stem from his positional play - as he leaves his position too often to chase the ball, which is one of the reasons teams run through the midfield - his tackling style (although he admittedly does have a good success rate) as I am firmly of the Maldini belief that you only need to dive in if you've already done something wrong (this goes back to positional play/reading of the game) and his passing of the ball which doesn't ever really go above 6-7/10 with the odd exception. 

For me, when I want a defensively minded CM/DM I want a Lavia (forgetting about fitness and just focusing on play style), Camavinga or a Tchouaméni type player. Caicedo's style I find too chaotic and feel that people get a bit carried away with his engine and diving in. 

As I said, he isn't my style of player and his flaws I think cause issues that aren't always recognised. In a similar way, it is why I defend Jackson a lot. I do recognise his weakness which are widely meme'd but equally he doesn't get the credit anywhere near enough for how important his off the ball work and running is - although some people seemed to realise that a bit more with his injury recently and the lack of threat we had as a consequence. That said, I would rather Jackson be a rotational player long term - unless he sorts out his finishing, but currently he has to start as the No.9 as we function nowhere near as well without him. 

[Fulham Broadway 17,313]

All over the tabloids this morning -driving without a licence -cops nicked his £160 000 Audi

 

[Mhsc 1,097]

8 minutes ago, Fulham Broadway said:

All over the tabloids this morning -driving without a licence -cops nicked his £160 000 Audi

 

Oh dear. Probably he had a license from Ecuador but you can only use a foreign license for like a year in the UK I think and then you have to sit and do the test. He's probably been driving without a valid license for like 4 years... No idea how he was even getting insured (or if he was insured).

23 years old and can't get the basics of his life together... Not a good look tbh.

[Fulham Broadway 17,313]

1 hour ago, Mhsc said:

Oh dear. Probably he had a license from Ecuador but you can only use a foreign license for like a year in the UK I think and then you have to sit and do the test. He's probably been driving without a valid license for like 4 years... No idea how he was even getting insured (or if he was insured).

23 years old and can't get the basics of his life together... Not a good look tbh.

To be fair most PL players have an entourage of 'fixers'. Eg like if they want to move house, they dont have to do a thing -every detail is organised and done for them. Seems in this case one of Caecedos fixers has fucked up - or maybe he doesnt use them

[nyikolajevics 2,698]

4 hours ago, Mhsc said:

Oh dear. Probably he had a license from Ecuador but you can only use a foreign license for like a year in the UK I think and then you have to sit and do the test. He's probably been driving without a valid license for like 4 years... No idea how he was even getting insured (or if he was insured).

23 years old and can't get the basics of his life together... Not a good look tbh.

 

Probably he has the "I have money and am famous hence I can do this" attitude, and probably he is right about it. Darron Gibson, Marcos Alonso, Wes.. If you even get injured like that moron Antonio, you even gain the public's symphaty.

[TheHulk 2,450]

 

[Stats 7,142]

Another top performance. Deservedly our POTY. Despite a shake start when he first joined which is understandable, has come on leaps and bounds and has been consistent in every game this season. I am not swapping another CM for him. Immense.

[Fernando 6,585]

3 hours ago, Stats said:

Another top performance. Deservedly our POTY. Despite a shake start when he first joined which is understandable, has come on leaps and bounds and has been consistent in every game this season. I am not swapping another CM for him. Immense.

Yes but with a fit Lavia he ain't a CM sadly. 

 

[Vesper 30,175]

Moises Caicedo: Chelsea’s player of the season who has thrived out of position

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6336960/2025/05/07/moises-caicedo-Chelsea-player-of-the-season-out-of-position/

Cole Palmer looked more comfortable on the pitch than at any other time since January in Chelsea’s 3-1 victory over Liverpool. He also looked more at ease than at any other time in his post-match interview when he was invited to praise the team-mate standing next to him.

“When you’ve got (Moises) Caicedo next to you, it’s a dream, really,” he told Sky Sports. “From the start of the season until now, he’s been our best player. He’s a machine. He wins everything back (for the team), always gives 100 per cent every day, he’s humble, he’s nice to everyone and everyone loves him.”

The rest of the Chelsea dressing room and a majority of the voting supporters clearly agree, since Caicedo took home both of the men’s first-team player of the year gongs at the club’s awards night at Grosvenor House following the Liverpool win last Sunday.

Caicedo’s candidacy was strong even before Palmer entered his 18-game goal drought. He is the only Chelsea player to start all 35 Premier League matches this season and, for long stretches, has given the impression that his ferocious tackling, relentless intensity and smart distribution were the glue holding Enzo Maresca’s team together. The numbers, illustrated below, back that up (true tackles are tackles attempted plus fouls plus challenges lost, and true interceptions are interceptions plus blocked passes).

But his case has arguably been further strengthened in the last week by the return from injury of Romeo Lavia. Maresca’s preferred method of integrating the Belgian into his team is to recast Caicedo as a right-back who moves into the base of midfield, and the Ecuador international has embraced this combination of novel and familiar responsibilities with trademark enthusiasm.

 

Lavia’s ability to identify and play passes that break the opposition’s midfield line dramatically expands Chelsea’s capabilities in possession, and he demonstrated as much by slipping Palmer in behind Curtis Jones to ignite the move that yielded the opening goal against Liverpool. But those gains can only be consolidated if Caicedo can bring his usual dominating presence to central midfield while not neglecting his right-back responsibilities.

The early indications suggest that he can; Liverpool’s visit was the fifth Premier League game this season that Caicedo has started at right-back with Lavia as the No 6, and Chelsea have won four of them (the other being a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge in January).

Caicedo’s natural aggression translates readily to the right flank, where he is always looking to pick off passes hit towards the winger he is marking. Shortly before half-time against Liverpool, he pounced on a ball out of the visitors’ defence intended for Cody Gakpo.

Lavia then picked out Nicolas Jackson in the penalty area, but the striker was narrowly offside:

Despite this front-foot approach, Liverpool found it difficult to exploit the space behind Caicedo. He is agile and aware enough to pick off passes aimed over his head. He sprinted back with Gakpo to nod this floated pass from Jones on to goalkeeper Robert Sanchez:

Liverpool were only able to get behind Caicedo once, when Kostas Tsimikas pinned the Ecuador international to his back in the ninth minute before laying the ball off to Gakpo. Pedro Neto did not track the Dutchman’s run and Caicedo could not recover, but Sanchez saved the eventual shot comfortably:

Caicedo’s unique ability to do two jobs at once is best highlighted by the sequence below from Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Everton.

In the 11th minute, he made a trademark interception in the middle of the pitch, jumping in front of Iliman Ndiaye to poke the ball towards Palmer. He fell to the floor on landing but when possession was quickly lost, he got back to his feet and sprinted with Ndiaye back towards the left touchline, scrambling to his defensive position so quickly that the Everton winger ultimately decided to abort his forward run:

Caicedo, 23, may not be quite the progressive passer that Lavia is, but in this hybrid positional role, he is a meaningful passing upgrade on Malo Gusto or even club captain Reece James, the two other players Maresca has deployed as inverting right-backs in the Premier League this season.

Here he is against Tottenham Hotspur in December, bringing down a looping cross from Brennan Johnson under immediate pressure from Dejan Kulusevski in his own box and calmly curling a left-footed pass out to Neto:

‘Inverted’ into central midfield in the 36th minute against Aston Villa, he rattled a pass between two opponents and Lavia into the feet of Enzo Fernandez, initiating the slick move involving Palmer that ended with the Argentina international firing in Chelsea’s second goal of the game:

Antoine Semenyo is the one winger who has given Caicedo real trouble as a right-back, beating him one-vs-one to clip in a dangerous low cross in the first half. He then outsprinted Caicedo and lured him into a clumsy barge in the penalty area early in the second half, after Justin Kluivert had dispossessed Lavia:

Caicedo’s excessive eagerness to win the ball back is the only obvious weak spot in his game. He has garnered 10 or more yellow cards in each of his last three Premier League campaigns for Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion and is averaging 3.2 fouls per 1,000 opposition touches this season, second only to former team-mate Alexis Mac Allister in the competition.

But it is more a matter of minor adjustment than major adaptation. Chelsea want and need Caicedo to be aggressive in his pursuit of the ball and that, coupled with his indefatigable engine, enables him to be hugely influential in the closing stages of matches back in his natural midfield role when Lavia — who is still yet to complete 90 minutes for Maresca — leaves the field.

Caicedo helped Chelsea cement their territorial dominance once he was restored full-time to the middle of the pitch against Villa in December. In this pretty ridiculous sequence, he charged forward to make a successful tackle in the attacking third, then immediately pivoted and jumped to pluck the visitors’ attempted clearance out of the air and regain possession for his team:

Perhaps the most consequential example of Caicedo’s relentlessness came in the 95th minute against Liverpool. He had no right to beat Jarell Quansah to Dominik Szoboszlai’s sloppy infield pass in the visitors’ penalty area, but did so with sufficient poise to win the spot kick that sealed Chelsea’s biggest win of 2025 and enabled Palmer to end his scoring slump:

The ease with which Caicedo has adapted to his positional shift evokes memories of Chelsea legend Michael Essien, who continued to be one of Jose Mourinho’s best and most consistent performers when injuries elsewhere required him to move from midfield to right-back for much of the 2006-07 season — even surging upfield to score one of the greatest goals Stamford Bridge has ever seen to earn a 1-1 draw against rivals Arsenal.

Essien was rewarded for his positionless brilliance by being named the club’s player of the season in 2007. Caicedo may now be on a similar path, and his versatility is enabling Chelsea to build real momentum in this defining final stretch of the season.

[TheHulk 2,450]

He's been absolutely brilliant this season, if we somehow manage to fix the holes in our squad, we would be quite a hard team to beat with him in the middle.

Edited May 17 by TheHulk

[Special Juan 28,141]

Simply need to build around him with more quality and experience and not babies