How big a miss is Moises Caicedo for Chelsea?

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca certainly knows the importance of Moises Caicedo.

Maresca named the Ecuadorian midfielder in the starting 11 in 50 of the 51 Premier League matches he played for Chelsea.

But now, after receiving a red card in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal, Caicedo will miss three matches – at Leeds on Wednesday and against Bournemouth and Everton.

Speaking on Tuesday, Maresca gave Caicedo the same billing as star attacker Cole Palmer.

“We are a better team with Cole, we are a better team with Moi,” Maresca said.

Caicedo has been a key player for the Blues so far this season and only his late return from South America prevented him from starting in the 2-0 win against Burnley after the November international break.

Asked by BBC Sport about still winning while resting the key midfield spot, Maresca said: “I won’t do it again. This is the last time!” he said.

He may be joking, but perhaps there is some truth behind his words.

Caicedo won player of the season awards from both the club’s players and fans for the 2024–25 season and is regarded by his manager as one of the two best defensive midfielders in the world, alongside Manchester City’s Rodri.

Statistics from football data provider Opta also support this conclusion.

No midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues has made as many interceptions (28) or interceptions (18) as Caicedo this season.
These 28 tackles represent 23% of Chelsea’s overall figure; This is the second highest rate Opta has recorded in a season since 2006-07.
Caicedo fights more and wins a higher percentage of duels (59%) than Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch; both are generally considered among the league’s best midfielders.