Why Caicedo is pivotal for Chelsea - but are they over-reliant?

When Chelsea signed Moises Caicedo for an initial £100m from Brighton in 2023, there were plenty of eyebrows being raised.

Fast-forward two years and the 23-year-old Ecuador international is being mentioned as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and, perhaps, the world.

Caicedo starred in Chelsea's 2-1 home win against Premier League champions Liverpool before the international break, powering in the opening goal in a performance that BBC Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer said "had everything", including a "bit of Frank Lampard and N'Golo Kante".

And Caicedo now looks poised to join the list of great Chelsea midfielders, having cited Kante and Claude Makelele as inspirations in 2023.

He is the joint top-scoring midfielder in the Premier League this season, tied with team-mate Enzo Fernandez at three goals, making them Chelsea's leading scorers.

Is Caicedo the best midfielder in England? How well is he regarded at Chelsea? And is there concern that, like star attacker Cole Palmer, Chelsea may be over-reliant on him?

The data clearly shows that Caicedo belongs in the debate over the league's top midfielders.

No midfielder in Europe's top five leagues has made more tackles (28) or interceptions (18) this season than Caicedo.

The 28 tackles represent 23% of Chelsea's overall tackles, the second-highest ratio by a player in a season which data analysts Opta have on record since 2006-07.

Only Burnley's Josh Cullen has recorded more defensive blocks among midfielders.

Since last season Caicedo has made more tackles (142) than any other player without being sent off or receiving a suspension for yellow card accumulation, showcasing his precise tackling.

He makes more tackles and wins a higher percentage of duels (59%) than Arsenal's Declan Rice and Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch, both often considered among the league's best midfielders.

It is unclear whether Caicedo's attacking output will continue at this level. His three goals this season, from an expected goals (xG) of 0.5, include two from outside the box, tying Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo for the league's highest total.

Since the beginning of last season Rice has contributed the most offensively among midfielders, with more goals, assists and passes into the box, aided by his set-piece duties for Arsenal.

Caicedo dominates defensively, while Gravenberch balances defensive and attacking roles. Other top midfielders include former Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, currently sidelined by injury at Manchester City, and Newcastle's Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes.

A recent Fifpro report revealed that Caicedo faces an "unequal workload" compared to other footballers.

The report detailed how Caicedo travelled almost 25,000km to play four matches in 14 days for club and country in October 2024.

It read: "In 14 days Caicedo played a total of 360 minutes across two continents and three countries, with an average recovery time of 110.8 hours, while flying more than half the length of the equator." It also said Caicedo "made 27 trips across borders and was in transit for 175.6 hours" last season.

Chelsea's players had only 20 days off this summer (eight fewer than recommended) and 13 days of pre-season (15 fewer than recommended), because of their Club World Cup-winning campaign, which added seven matches in the US.

Asked about Caicedo after the win over Liverpool, assistant manager Willy Caballero said: "He has played a lot of games with the Club World Cup and with the national team, so we need to manage him sometimes."

Caicedo has since received his first break from international duty since joining Chelsea. Sources close to him described him as "exhausted" in recent weeks.

Still, Caicedo takes his international commitments seriously, having helped Ecuador finish second in the South American qualifying group, ahead of Brazil, to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Caicedo, the youngest of 10 siblings, grew up in poverty in Ecuador but has lifted himself and his family out of it through football, becoming a footballing icon back home. In a recent interview in Ecuador, one commentator described Caicedo as "our [Michael] Jordan."

Having focused entirely on football until recently, Caicedo is now earning from sponsorships, signing deals worth millions with nine brands over the past year, including Banco Guayaquil and a Chinese internet provider.

A 'Mini Moi' children's cartoon is also in development to share his story with Latin American audiences.

As one of only seven outfield players to start all 38 Premier League matches last season, Caicedo became the first Chelsea midfielder to achieve this since Lampard in the 2004-05 season.

Caicedo has started every Premier League and Champions League match this season, having been rested only for the 2-1 win over Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup.

There is concern over whether Chelsea are over-reliant on Caicedo, given his extreme workload, an issue they tried to address this summer.

Chelsea signed a midfielder with a similar profile, Dario Essugo, from Sporting as a back-up option and recalled Andrey Santos from his 18-month loan at Strasbourg.

However, both are injured - Essugo more seriously, potentially until January - while Romeo Lavia has made only one substitute appearance this season.

Chelsea view Caicedo as untouchable, with reports suggesting they aim to improve his contract, which runs until 2032.

The Blues secured Caicedo's signature from Brighton in 2023 by paying an initial £100m plus £15m in add-ons, outbidding Liverpool, after Arsenal bid £60m six months earlier.

Initially criticised for his price tag, Caicedo sought help from a psychologist, which helped him adapt to the high-pressure environment at Stamford Bridge.

Last season Caicedo was voted both the players' player and fans' player of the season at Chelsea.

His closest counsel includes his brothers, Marco and Miguel, who manage his career without a formal agent involved, and his mother Carmen, who was pictured at his contract signing. He also works with a private physiotherapist on recovery at home.

Softly spoken, deeply religious and a member of Chelsea's PlayStation club, Caicedo's on-pitch aggression is the antithesis of his off-field persona, with Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville describing him as the "best midfielder in the Premier League".

Chelsea's management and fans have long championed this view, with manager Enzo Maresca saying six months ago that Caicedo was "one of the best, if not the best, midfielder in the world".

Caicedo will be pivotal as Chelsea target a top-four finish or better, having earned 11 points from seven games, placing the club seventh before Saturday's trip to Nottingham Forest.