Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca claims that Moises Caicedo is up there with the best holding midfield players in the Premier League.
The Ecuadorian has been in great form in recent months and, when asked if Caicedo should be mentioned in the same breath as Manchester City’s Rodri and Arsenal’s Declan Rice, Maresca replied:
“He is for sure now at that level. No doubt. Unfortunately, Rodri is injured but Declan [Rice] is playing. But I think Moises can sit at that table with that kind of midfielder.”
Caicedo has been everpresent for the Blues in the league this season, having only failed to complete the 90 minutes on one occasion, demonstrating how important he is to Maresca.
The pressure from Caicedo’s price tag has lifted
There is no doubt that the 23-year-old felt burdened by his British record £115m fee when he first arrived from Brighton last year. He has even admitted himself that the expectations placed on him made things tough.
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However, slowly but surely, Blues fans have begun to see the very best of Caicedo and he is arguably at the peak of his powers at the moment.
Changes in Chelsea’s midfield setup have helped
While Caicedo has played as a lone 6 on a number of occasions this season, the responsibility to protect the back four has started to be shared with Romeo Lavia.
The pair have worked well in tandem, and Lavia’s presence has definitely given the Blues more solidity in the middle of the park.
As we saw against Aston Villa last weekend, Maresca is not afraid to mix things up either, having selected Caicedo at right-back whilst asking him to occupy a midfield position on the ball.
The differing setups have clearly helped Caicedo to perform at his best whilst correspondingly aiding the team’s efforts to secure results.
Find out who is in Chelsea’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here