Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo has come under fire for his eyebrow-raising comments following his team's 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday afternoon. The Ecuadorian has shown significant improvement this season, beginning to justify the £115 million fee the Blues paid for him in 2023.
Now regarded as one of the top midfielders in the world, Caicedo has ensured Enzo Maresca won’t need to invest heavily in that area this summer, with Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez also key figures alongside him. This comes as the Blues continue to struggle to find the answers to a goalscoring lull in recent weeks.
However, the 23-year-old's assessment of Chelsea’s performance against Arsenal has not gone down well. Fans from both sides - along with neutrals - have ridiculed his remarks, with many branding the game one of the dullest of the season. While Mikel Merino’s decisive header provided the only moment of true significance on an otherwise forgettable afternoon in north London, Caicedo’s claim that Chelsea were the better team has been met with disbelief and widespread mockery.
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Caicedo Slammed For Post-Match Comments After Arsenal Loss
The midfielder claimed Chelsea were the better side
Chelsea's Moises Caicedo and manager Enzo Maresca after the match
"It was difficult, [but] the team showed character," Caicedo told Chelsea TV following the 1-0 defeat. He continued (see full interview below):
"We were better than them, but we weren't clinical. The team was good, and I'm proud of that. They [Arsenal] have been working seven years together, and us just two years, and we showed we were better than them, and that’s good!”
Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea - Match Statistics
Arsenal
41
12
4
5
2
3
Arsenal fans have been quick to correct the 23-year-old
Caicedo and Odegaard
Chelsea's harsh reality is that, ever since Todd Boehly and his Clearlake regime took the reins at Stamford Bridge, their seemingly endless pit of gold hasn't been used effectively. Evidence of that lies within the fact the Blues are yet to qualify for the Champions League in the post-Roman Abramovich era, while Arsenal are on course to finish runners-up in the Premier League for a third successive season under Mikel Arteta.
Those of north London persuasion certainly wanted to remind Caicedo of such disparities between the two clubs online, as one X user commented: "Arsenal’s starting XI 7 years ago: Raya - 22, Blackburn; Timber - 16, Ajax; Saliba - 16, St Etienne; Gabriel - 20, Zagreb; MLS - 11, Arsenal; Partey - 24, Atletico Madrid; Rice - 19, West Ham; Odegaard - 19, Heerenveen; Martinelli - 16, Ituano; Trossard - 23, Genk, Merino - 21, Newcastle." Another also remarked:
"Why’s he so bitter? It’s obvious he wanted to go to Chelsea over us—if he really wanted Arsenal, he’d have pushed harder for the move. And now he’s out here chatting rubbish about us?"
Meanwhile, a fourth user said: "Pure waffle here from Caicedo," while a fifth concluded: "Sore loser energy." Chelsea are winless in their last seven Premier League games on the road, which is their longest run of such kind since October 2022 under Graham Potter.
The Blues currently sit just one point inside the top four, with Manchester City, Carabao Cup winners Newcastle United, and Brighton & Hove Albion all breathing down their necks. With their next league outing coming against London rivals Tottenham, a win feels absolutely necessary if Maresca's ambitions of returning to the top table in Europe are to be realised.