Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice is currently competing to be named the best player in the Premier League, however his time at Chelsea left him doubting his ability.
The Blues travel to the Emirates on Sunday, where the narrative will no doubt be dominated by chat about who is better out of Rice and Moises Caicedo.
The Chelsea man let himself down in the reverse fixture with his red card, and Liam Rosenior is relying on his key players to help them bounce back from their recent two draws.
How are we calling Arsenal bottlers? 🤦♂️
What does Liam Rosenior need to do to change this?
Chelsea's dropped points from winning positions at home this season
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Many forget that Rice actually spent a large part of his time as an academy player at Cobham, although was released at the age of 14 before joining West Ham.
Arsenal v Chelsea - Carabao Cup Semi Final Second Leg
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Given how competitive the Chelsea academy is, it is clear that this would leave doubts in any young player’s mind that they had the ability to become an international star, and it appears this occurred with Rice.
When asked by The Sun if he thought he would make it, he said:
“I’ll be totally honest – no, not at all. I always believed in myself. I always knew I had ability. What set me apart from others was I had the heart, the desire to go with it.
“I was a really good listener. Even if one of my coaches told me off, I wouldn’t go home complaining to my mum and dad about it. I’d take it on the chin, see where I could improve.
“I didn’t know I would be going on to do what I’m doing. That’s why it’s amazing, because once you start out in football, you never know your journey.
“But if you can stay consistent, believe in your own pathway and believe in yourself, it can take you anywhere.”
Mark Clattenburg’s thoughts on Caicedo’s red card…
Speaking exclusively to The Chelsea Chronicle, the former Premier League referee said:
There is no doubt that Moises Caicedo deserve a red card for a shocking tackle that catches his opponent above the foot which could easily endanger the safety of his opponent. Some will argue that the early yellow cards have created this tension but that is looking for excuses for such a tackle.
Mark Clattenburg
Players and pundits have their say on Declan Rice vs Moises Caicedo
Both midfielders have been compared to each other all season, with pundits and players all having their own opinion on who is better.
Alexis Mac Allister, who played with the Ecuador international at Brighton, rates Caicedo over Rice, although not all pundits take this side.
Paul Merson recently leaned in favour of the Arsenal man, however they are so closely compared that whoever plays better on Sunday is likely to take the lead in most people’s views.
Chelsea are losing ground on a place in the Champions League next season, and need to pull out a special result to make a statement to both Manchester United and Liverpool.
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