Former Premier League midfielder Leon Osman has a warning for Enzo Maresca about Chelsea’s man of the moment, Moises Caicedo.
It comes after Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Qarabag in the Champions League, a game that Caicedo began on the bench.
However, after Romeo Lavia sustained another injury, the Ecuadorian was brought on. It was his 15th appearance of the season.
Osman now has a message for Maresca after watching the Chelsea head coach sub on his star midfielder at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium.
Everton legend Leon Osman being interviewed
Photo by Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty Images
Leon Osman warns Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca he can’t use Moises Caicedo all of the time
While Maresca will want a player of Caicedo’s quality on the pitch as often as possible, Osman has warned the 45-year-old that he risks injuring his player if he turns to him at every opportunity.
Commentating on Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Qarabag for the BBC, the Everton legend said: “You can’t keep asking Moises Caicedo to play every minute of every game. If he picks up an injury then that would be a nightmare.”
The Ecuadorian’s name is on everyone’s lips right now following his stunning performance in the Blues’ 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League last Saturday.
Claude Makelele prefers Caicedo to Declan Rice, stating that he would start the 24-year-old over the Arsenal man if he had to pick between the two.
Currently, Caicedo and Rice are two of the best midfielders in the world and will go head-to-head with each other when Chelsea take on Arsenal at the end of the month.
Enzo Maresca giving instructions to Moises Caicedo during Chelsea training session
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
How many minutes has Moises Caicedo played this season?
Osman is right to be concerned about how often Caicedo is playing. Fifteen games into the campaign, and the Ecuador international has already played 1,171 minutes, which is a lot of football.
Moises Caicedo’s 2025/26 stats Total
Appearances 15
Starts 12
Minutes 1,171
Goals 4
Assists 1
Yellow cards 3
Red cards 0
Via Transfermarkt
Last season, Caicedo played a total of 4,289 minutes after making 50 appearances. Maresca relies on him heavily, but he does not have too many alternatives right now.
Lavia is just not able to stay on the pitch, while the Chelsea manager has also lost Dario Essugo to injury.
Essugo’s profile is quite similar to Caicedo’s, so the 20-year-old would have been the natural alternative to his teammate.
When the Portuguese is fit again, perhaps Maresca will start giving Caicedo opportunities to rest and have a breather.