Chelsea supporters have known for a while just how integral Moises Caicedo is to their team, and one current stat perfectly shines a light on that.
After an up-and-down debut campaign for the Blues, Moises Caicedo was outrageously good in his second year at Stamford Bridge last season. The 23-year-old midfielder was rightly voted the club’s Player of the Season for 2024-25.
Earlier this week, Paul Scholes omitted Caicedo from the world’s top five midfielders at this moment in time. For Chelsea supporters that watch the Ecuador international run through opposition teams on a weekly basis, they will find that staggering.
Moises Caicedo playing for Chelsea against Liverpool in the Premier League.
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Moises Caicedo has remarkable defensive stat this season
Unsurprisingly, Caicedo has carried his form over into the opening months of the 2025-26 season.
He’s the only Chelsea star to play every minute in the first seven Premier League games. Even so, the defensive midfielder has an incredible individual stat which highlights the high level of his performances.
Opta, via BBC Sport, records that no midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues has made more tackles (28) or interceptions (18) this season than Caicedo.
The staggering stat is that Caicedo’s 28 tackles represent 23% of Chelsea’s overall tackles so far this campaign. For one player to contribute nearly a quarter of your team’s tackles proves just how valuable he is and how much work he gets through out of possession.
Moisés Caicedo is the only player to make 200+ tackles and 100+ interceptions in the Premier League since he joined Chelsea in 2023/24.
233 tackles 🤝 104 interceptions pic.twitter.com/LLdv9bmN1g
— Squawka (@Squawka) October 16, 2025
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In December 2024, Caicedo admitted he looked up to N’Golo Kante, the former Chelsea midfielder, when he was younger. The truth is that he’s the closest thing we’ve seen to the French icon in the Premier League since his exit.
Although Jamie O’Hara thinks Caicedo could thrive further forward, which makes sense because he’s already scored three league goals this season, we prefer him deeper or in a box-to-box role because he can be so destructive at breaking up play.
Moises Caicedo celebrates scoring for Chelsea against Liverpool in the Premier League.
Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images
Chelsea’s strongest midfield when everyone’s fit
It would be fascinating to see who Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca would pick as his preferred midfield if everyone was fit.
Regardless of the system or combination, Caicedo belongs in Chelsea’s strongest midfield because he’s so crucial. Not only is he the defensive expert who screens the backline, but he also offers so much control and quality when he’s in possession.
Meanwhile, Cole Palmer feels like a dead cert in the number 10 position because of what he can do on the football.
That leaves a toss up between Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia and Andrey Santos for one final central midfield spot next to Caicedo. It feels like Fernandez currently has possession of the starting shirt, but don’t be surprised if the other two are breathing down their neck.
In an ideal world, the combination of Lavia, Caicedo and Palmer could be truly magical.