Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo’s Stats Since Start of 2023/24 Season Compared

In the 32 visceral years of Premier League football, the most valuable position in title-winning teams has rarely remained the same. During the nineties and early 2000s, the striker, as the primary goalscorer for a club, was at the heart of the country’s top squads and, as such, commanded the highest contracts and most extravagant transfer fees. Then, the rise of the winger briefly took England by storm with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale taking centre-stage.

These days, however, managers have developed a new obsession with investing in a world-class defensive midfielder. For a time, it appeared that only Manchester City had one in Rodri, but once rival clubs recognised how crucial he had become to Pep Guardiola’s domestic success, they quickly followed suit. While Liverpool are still searching for theirs, despite Ryan Gravenberch going through a major spike in form, both Arsenal and Chelsea have spent lavishly on finding their answers to the Rodri question.

In the same summer that Declan Rice broke the Gunners’ transfer record with his £105m move from West Ham, Chelsea moved swiftly—after numerous protracted efforts—to secure Moises Caicedo with a British record transfer fee of £115m, finalising the deal on the 2023 summer deadline day. Since then, both players’ efforts to orchestrate the midfield for their respective clubs have been closely scrutinised and frequently compared.

While Rice has been praised for “making a mockery” of his hefty price tag and is now considered one of the Premier League’s top midfielders, Caicedo has not received the same acclaim and has frequently been labelled as overpriced. However, with the Ecuadorian international finding his rhythm at the start of the 2024/25 season, this moment in time offers a good opportunity to see if their contrasting reputations still hold true.

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Attacking & Posession Statistics

Declan Rice steals march on Moises Caicedo in possession

Although Mikel Arteta and Enzo Maresca will want whoever plays in the pivot of their midfield to be more of a defensive presence, being able to contribute effectively going forward is still important for any number six. Rodri has mastered this skill, as evidenced by his decisive goal in the final that secured City’s first Champions League title and avoided yet another heartbreak. It’s also in this area where Rice currently outshines Caicedo.

While the Blues’ ace will be remembered for his stunning halfway-line strike against Bournemouth on the final day of last season, Rice’s consistent forward runs and goal-scoring ability make him a much more effective box-to-box player than his counterpart. He not only finds the back of the net more often, but he takes more shots on average, and his set-piece prowess, which has become a talking point in recent weeks as Arsenal have scored the most goals from deadball situations this season, means he’s a better creator, too.

In fact, the only attacking statistic that Caicedo prevails in is shooting success. Although it’s only a marginal difference of 0.13%, the yawning chasm in goals and assists suggests that, should the 23-year-old decide to release the trigger more often, or pick up positions higher up the pitch, he could find more joy in that department. In spite of that, though, he seldom roams from the base of midfield, and that conservative approach can have its positives as well.

Defensive Statistics

Caicedo has the slight edge when winning the ball back

Considering what every manager wants from their third midfield option, it is only right that the most weight is given to who has performed best when their team is without the ball or competing for it. As it goes, both Rice and Caicedo do a decent job at winning the midfield battle and screening the defence. However, it is the latter that edges the statistical assessment.

Having made more blocks, more interceptions, more tackles, and flaunting a better tackle success rate over the last two seasons, Caicedo is as good as they come in terms of preventing the ball from trespassing in his side’s defensive third. The only caveat to these slight betterments to Rice’s equally impressive stats is that, with Chelsea, the squad is asked to muck in more off the ball, as they don’t control games as well as their north London rivals.

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Still, to match a player as highly regarded as Rice shows that perhaps doubters were too hasty in their judgments of Caicedo. On the other hand, however, what lets him down slightly is that he appears to be more rash in his attempts at winning the ball. Although he wins it nine times out of 10, on the occasions he doesn’t, he’s punished, as shown by his 70 fouls compared to Rice’s 43.

The Verdict

Rice is the better all-around midfield facilitator

Overall, Rice is the more influential player of the two. He not only has a greater impact on Arsenal’s attacking play, contributing to set pieces like corners and free-kicks, as well as in open play, but he also matches Caicedo in virtually every defensive statistic. This is somewhat hindered by the fact that Arsenal don’t rely on defensive duties as much as Chelsea do.

Considering the defensive midfield role has evolved into a position that has the biggest say on outcomes, it is only fair that Rice gets his flowers for being the more well-rounded co-ordinator. While his club have struggled to nip the bud in a long-drawn-out trophy drought, he is the facilitator in an Arteta side that has regularly fought toe-to-toe with Man City over the last couple of seasons, allowing others to perform better by providing structure, support, and guidance without dominating the process.

Still, despite this stats comparison victory, nothing should be taken away from his Chelsea counterpart. It must be reminded that Caicedo didn’t have the same immediate effect as Rice, and in the long run, his statistics could level out and eventually overtake the Englishman’s. At the pace the Maresca era is shaping out, the Ecuadorian has gone from strength to strength, and soon enough, he will bathe in the same light as others in his position after a rocky start to life on the West end knocked him back a few places.