Romeo Lavia has provided the perfect midfield partner for Premier League record signing Moises Caicedo. This midfield duo will be the key to any future success for Enzo Maresca’s men.
Moises Caicedo Performing Well This Season
The Midfielder’s Statistical Improvement
Chelsea fans will tell you Caicedo has been performing well since last season, but his reputation was tainted by his debut game vs West Ham and his mistake vs Manchester United in the 4-3 thriller at Stamford Bridge last term. Caicedo was slowly improving under Pochettino but has exploded under new Blues boss Maresca.
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Comparing his WhoScored.com ratings from last campaign to this one the midfielder has improved his average Premier League match rating from 6.85 to 7.23 as well as improvements in other areas. For example, the Ecuadorian has improved his average tackles per game from 2.6 to 3.5 and his tackle success rate from 60% to 72%.
Caicedo has also improved his attacking game, in 35 appearances he provided one goal and three assists whereas already this term after nine appearances he has provided one goal and two assists, only one less than his tally from last season in far fewer games.
The number 25 starred in The Blues’ latest matchup vs The Red Devils at Old Trafford, with the game ending 1-1 Caicedo provided the goal for Chelsea with a superb first-time volley to power it past Onana in the net; he also won Man of The Match with three ball recoveries, two dribbles completed, two tackles won, two clearances and nine ground duels won.
Maresca Full Of Praise
Caicedo’s form has not gone unnoticed by manager Maresca: “Since we arrived Moi is doing fantastic…Moi is showing how good he is”, he then went on to say how the players are “human beings” and “Chelsea is a big club, one of the best in the world, so the impact is not easy when players join Chelsea”. The backing that the midfield man has received from his manager could be a key factor in his incline in form as well as the rest of the team.
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The West London side sit fourth in the table, above title-contenders Arsenal on goal difference with the London derby set for the coming weekend. Caicedo went on to say himself that he is “happy to help the team in any way” and that they went into the game with high ambitions stating “we wanted to win the game and finish the day in third but one point is good”.
This surely gives Chelsea fans a lot of hope for the future as the team are now battling for the top four places with a sense of belief being re-installed in the players by the manager.
Belgian Star Provides The Perfect Partner
Romeo Lavia has formed a great midfield duo with Moises Caicedo in recent weeks and is slowly shutting the door on Argentinian Enzo Fernandez to return to the starting line-up. The Belgian has an average match rating on WhoScored.com of 6.7, which is an improvement on his contender, Fernandez’s rating of 6.5.
Lavia has been trusted by the Blues boss to start the last three Premier League games ahead of Fernandez, these weren’t easy games either, as they faced Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester United. Only the Newcastle game was at Stamford Bridge which amplifies the idea that he is the preferred partner for Caicedo.
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The former Southampton man compliments the Ecuadorian’s game very well, with Caicedo being more of a destroyer type of midfielder and Lavia being better at controlling the tempo of the game and progressing the ball; he has a pass completion rate of 92%, ten progressive passes and 615 progressive passing distance. This new-found duo could be the key to th future success of Chelsea for years to come.
