Adrian Clarke today did a really nice piece for the Premier League’s website about Moises Caicedo and his rise to the top.
The former Arsenal defender called him the “best central midfielder in the Premier League,” ahead of his old team’s game against Chelsea tomorrow.
Central to that game will be the battle between Caicedo and Declan Rice in midfield, providing an interesting moment to compare their career path so far. Rice – who had been at Chelsea as a kid – looked all set to join the Blues after years of rumours.
But a poor season saw the Blues tumble out of the Champions League, and rising Arsenal snapped him up instead. Chelsea ended up signing Caicedo for a similar fee at a similar time, and the comparisons have continued ever since.
Until recently, Rice has looked the better player and the better signing, but the stats show that things might be turning now.
Chelsea man has the upper hand so far
Last season Rice was excellent from the moment he pulled on an Arsenal shirt, while Caicedo struggled mightily in a dysfunctional Chelsea team, especially early on. But this season it’s Arsenal who haven’t quite come together, while Caicedo is shining for the Blues.
The stats show sheer dominance from Caicedo – from tackles, interceptions and aerial duels won. And that’s just defensively. The former Brighton man, known more as a destroyer, has more assists, more passes forward, more touches, more through balls – and even scored a goal last week against Manchester United.
There is still a long season ahead for all this to balance out, but without doubt the Chelsea man comes into tomorrow’s game in the better form, and fans will be hoping that translates to dominance in midfield too.
