Brighton & Hove Albion’s young midfielder, Moises Caicedo, is attracting the interest of a few English Premier League rivals. The 21-year-old has impressed on the big stage and was a regular part of Ecuador’s starting 11 in the FIFA World Cup 2022. Chelsea and Liverpool have shown interest in acquiring the player and replacing their veterans in a similar role. Moises Caicedo is rated as a bright talent, and his performances attracted the attention of these clubs. Here are some stats of the player from the current season that show why these two English Premier League giants have shown their interest in the player.
Moises Caicedo plays as a central midfielder and can also play in the defensive midfielder role. He has played a total of 36 EPL matches, scored three goals, and has an assist to his name. The 21-year-old has been a regular starter for the Seagulls and has made 14 appearances this season. The above pizza chart shows the percentile of the player in comparison to other left-central midfielders in the league. It can be observed that Caicedo is highly ranked in the defensive as well as in the possession column. Notably, he has won duels for his side and holds a high passing accuracy. The heatmap of the player indicates that he likes to run up and down the field.
The defensive qualities
Moises Caicedo is more known for his defensive qualities than his attacking qualities. The youngster covers a lot of defensive areas, especially on the left and the centre. The above viz shows the defensive territory of Caicedo. It can be observed that the Ecuadorian performs most of the defensive actions in the middle third. He gives away two fouls per 90 minutes, but most of these are tactical fouls and in the safe zone. Moises Caicedo averages 7.99 defensive duels, two aerial duels, and 3.33 loose ball duels per 90 minutes. The win percentage is 59.2% for defensive duels, 60% for aerial duels, and 54% for loose ball duels. This shows that the player likes to get involved in the plays and has a high work rate.
Recoveries in the attacking zones
This high work rate and defensive abilities have allowed the player to change the momentum of the game. Moises Caicedo averages 8.7 recoveries per 90 minutes, and 42.7% of such recoveries have been made in the attacking half. These include 24 in the opposition’s final third. The above viz shows that Caicedo has made nine counter-pressing recoveries in the final third, and those have led to a shot within the next 20 seconds. Chelsea and Liverpool like to apply constant pressure on the opposition. A player like Caicedo who is effective in recovering the ball could be a dangerous addition.
Moises Caicedo averages 49.1 passes per 90 minutes and has an accuracy rate of 89.6%. These include 6.66 passes to the final third and 1.87 passes to the penalty box per 90 minutes. The accuracy rate is on the higher side, at 83% for passes to the final third and 78.6% for passes to the penalty box. The above pass map shows that he is less involved on the creative side. Caicedo is more focused on keeping possession and distributing it to the wide attacking zones.
Who can Caicedo replace?
Chelsea are looking for a possible replacement for N’Golo Kante. The Frenchman has been struggling with injuries recently, and this has affected the form of the Blues. The above graph compares the stats of the two players. Kante has made just two appearances, and it looks like he is more effective on the passing side. Caicedo has impressed more on the defensive side.
Liverpool will look to replace Fabinho in the midfield. The Brazilian is also known for his defensive abilities. Liverpool requires new legs in that department and is thus interested in the youngster.
Moises Caicedo is poised to become one of Ecuador’s best midfielders. He has impressed everyone this season and might be on the move away from Albion. These two clubs might have to spend a lot of money to acquire the player, and it will be interesting to see which side the player chooses.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
