Arsenal star Declan Rice is far better than Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo and here’s why

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Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo appear to have been universally identified as the two best midfielders in the Premier League at the moment.

In recent weeks, the internet has been swept up in a heated debate over which of the two players is currently playing at a higher level.

Rice has been outstanding for a cohesive Arsenal side, while Caicedo has arguably been carrying a slightly dysfunctional Chelsea team at times.

While both are exceptional footballers in their own right, when it comes to crowning the best in the English top flight, there’s only one winner.

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Declan Rice is better than Moises Caicedo

Arsenal spent £100 million on Rice in the summer of 2023.

In the same transfer window, Chelsea splashed a record £115 million fee on Caicedo. The Gunners had been linked with the Ecuadorian, but ultimately opted to sign the older player with more Premier League experience.

Making their moves at the same time, it was inevitable that the two players would be compared from the outset. Rice certainly had the better of his counterpart in their first seasons at their new clubs, but Caicedo has since established himself as one of the best number sixes in world football.

While they fulfil slightly different roles, Rice is the better player for a multitude of reasons.

On the surface level, Rice is a lot more multi-faceted and does more for his team. The England international covers a lot more ground and is a lot more influential in each third of the pitch.

The Arsenal man provides a lot more value in the final third than the Chelsea talisman. Last season, Rice contributed to eleven Gunners goals compared to Caicedo’s three.

As shown by the data above, Rice creates chances at a much higher rate than Caicedo, while he gets into the opposition box much more frequently.

In essence, the 26-year-old is doing more valuable things than the 24-year-old in the most valuable area of the pitch.

However, as we get deeper on the pitch, Rice’s in possession superiority remains clear. He might be slightly less secure on the ball, but that’s because he’s trying more risky passes.

The Englishman contributes significantly more to Arsenal’s ball progression than Caicedo does to Chelsea’s, both through passing and carrying.

The only area of the game Caicedo has over Rice is their respective defensive outputs. However, this is somewhat a reflection of the systems they’re deployed in.

Rice is rarely tasked with preventing the opposition from breaking through Arsenal’s midfield, although he showed at West Ham that he’s capable of fulfilling this role to a high level, as he regularly made four tackles and interceptions per game for the Hammers.

Caicedo is elite defensively, single-handedly protecting Chelsea’s back four with his reading of the game and his athleticism.

Ultimately, however, Rice is contributing in more areas of the game and there’s not a footballer on the planet who could be as influential in every third of the pitch than him.

The Premier League will be counting their lucky stars Arsenal didn’t also sign Moises Caicedo

Enzo Maresca believes Caicedo is the best midfielder in the Premier League alongside Rodri.

While the Italian’s remark may wind up Arsenal supporters, few can doubt that the Ecuador international is an incredible footballer.

If the two players had ended up in the same midfield at the Emirates, the rest of the Premier League might as well have resigned themselves to an era of Gunners domination.

Together, the pair would be unstoppable. Teams already struggle to break through the heart of the Gunners, but a double pivot of Rice and Caicedo would quite literally be impenetrable.

Caicedo’s absurd defensive output would free up Rice even more to express himself on the ball and crash the box at an ever greater rate than he currently does.