25. Moisés Caicedo

[MoroccanBlue 5,297]

He's winning 5.1 tackles per 90 this season. Last time a player did that well for us was Kante with 5.8 in 20/21 season.  I'd go as far as saying in all of 2024 I don't think there's been a DM better than him in in the league not named Rodri. Not even close. 

 

Edited October 28 by MoroccanBlue

[Stats 7,054]

2 hours ago, Magic Lamps said:

Good question. He has definitely improved and we have to give him some credit that he basically was our sole holding mid for a season where we had poor overall defensive organisation. He has stopped most of these absolute brainfarts leading to goals by now which was why my assessment back then was so scathing. I still think we massively overpaid and he will never be a player worth 115m but he at least looks adequate now the team is finding its feet. So, I would not say he has proved me wrong yet but at least he is going int he right direction. There are still a few DMs I‘d have over him out there, but with the squad we have he clearly has his place in the starting lineup 

Honestly, I mean this when I say this, no biased aside. I wouldn't have another DM over him right now. He has everything you want as a CDM. He wins his tackles and also bosses the game and is a very good passer too. I remember someone on here before saying to me that Gallagher was a better passer and they simply used the stats as their evidence when Gallagher played further advanced than Caicedo. Caicedo's passing is underrated. He has twice this season now played superb through balls to Jackson. For his age and current ability combined with he is getting better, yes I would not take another DM over him right now.

5 minutes ago, MoroccanBlue said:

He's winning 5.1 tackles per 90 this season. Last time a player did that well for us was Kante with 5.8 in 20/21 season.  I'd go on in saying in all of 2024 I don't think there's been a DM better than him in in the league not named Rodri. Not even close. 

 

Exactly. Agreed.

Edited October 28 by Stats

[King Kante 1,476]

Still not my type of player in the possession side of the game. However, with his finish to last season and his start to this season I can admit I was wrong about my judgement of this guy. 

[Vesper 28,799]

Moises Caicedo’s Chelsea displays this year have cast aside questions over £115m fee

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5895017/2024/11/04/moises-caicedo-Chelsea-analysis/

No one should question the transfer fee Chelsea paid for Moises Caicedo anymore.

Caicedo’s importance to Chelsea was one of the main themes of Enzo Maresca’s press conference following their 1-1 draw at Manchester United on Sunday. When you score the kind of goal Caicedo did — a first-time volley with his right foot from the edge of the area into the bottom corner — you will always be the topic of conversation.

Chelsea did not buy the Ecuador midfielder from Brighton & Hove Albion for a Premier League record £115million ($148.8m at the current exchange rate) in August 2023 for his ability to find the net, although seeing this strike was worth the cost of a match ticket, just like his halfway line lob against Bournemouth was in May. No, Chelsea’s main motivation in luring Caicedo to Stamford Bridge is for him to be a stalwart in front of the defence for the next decade.

No one will deny the amount of money to acquire him was extraordinary. An unconvincing start to Caicedo’s Chelsea career, including giving the ball away during the build-up to Nottingham Forest’s winner at Stamford Bridge 14 months ago, made winning over the critics and the football fraternity even harder. The deteriorating form and fitness of midfield partner Enzo Fernandez, Chelsea’s previous record purchase (at £106m) signed seven months earlier, did not help his cause either.

Inevitably, Caicedo, 23, has been compared unfavourably to another midfielder who broke the £100million barrier in the same transfer window as his high-profile move. Declan Rice’s impact on Arsenal following his switch from West Ham (£100m plus £5million in add-ons) was more immediate. His performances helped Arsenal push Manchester City in the title race last season. He did not win a medal to show for his efforts but you did not hear many questioning whether he was a good acquisition after a few months in an Arsenal shirt.

 

Caicedo celebrating his goal at Old Trafford (Michael Regan/Getty Images)

But Chelsea’s failure to challenge for the Premier League (they finished sixth in May) does not mean Caicedo should not be getting the same respect Rice has earned.

Caicedo’s form in 2024 has been of a very high standard, growing in stature and confidence in a Chelsea shirt every week, first under Mauricio Pochettino and now under Maresca.

He has become the most trusted player in the squad. No Chelsea player has played more than his 3,760 Premier League minutes since the start of last season or made more appearances (43 starts and two as substitute). In terms of minutes, Nicolas Jackson (3,596) and Cole Palmer (3,485) are his closest challengers. Meanwhile, Fernandez, who was signed to become the key figure of Chelsea’s midfield, is losing ground at 2,804 minutes. The Argentina international will struggle to close the gap because he has been named on the bench for three consecutive league fixtures. Romeo Lavia has been favoured instead.

From a statistical point of view, Caicedo is beginning to outperform Rice in many metrics, as highlighted by Mozo Football (some data analysts have slightly different numbers, but the Chelsea midfielder’s superiority is consistent).

Caicedo’s three tackles at Old Trafford have taken his Premier League tally for 2024-25 to 35 (according to Opta). No one has more in the division. He ranks sixth for interceptions (17), but the combined total (for interceptions and tackles) puts him ahead of everybody else.

Perhaps even more significant in the minds of Chelsea’s fanbase is how he is averaging the most tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes in a Premier League season (5.2) for the club since N’Golo Kante (5.8) in the 2020-21 campaign.

 

Maresca speaking to Caicedo after the game (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Maresca is cautious about getting too carried away. The Italian sidestepped a question in his press conference over whether he believes Caicedo should be regarded as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, instead emphasising the quality of the whole squad while demanding more from Caicedo. He is an admirer but believes there is more to come.

He said: “Since we arrived, Moi (Caicedo) is doing fantastic. I said during the week, the problem with Moi and Enzo — these kinds of players — is probably the big money the club paid. Everyone expects them to be the best but they are human, it is normal. Moi is improving a lot. We are spending time with him and the rest to improve them.

“In football, one plus one is not always two. Because he was so good at Brighton, it does not mean he will be as good at Chelsea. He needs more time, he needs to adapt.

“Chelsea is a big club, one of the best clubs in the world, so the impact is not easy. When they join Chelsea for a lot of money, people think they will arrive here and be the best but that’s why I said one plus one is not two.”

The head coach may be reluctant to build up Caicedo too much because it is so early in his reign — but actions speak louder than words and Maresca is treating him as a player he cannot be without.