Enzo Maresca praised Moisés Caicedo as “one of the two top defensive midfielders in the world” following his decisive performance in Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over Tottenham on Saturday.
During the match, Caicedo intercepted the ball twice in advanced positions and provided a clever assist to João Pedro, who scored the game’s only goal in North London. Chelsea’s win temporarily positioned them fourth in the Premier League table, ahead of Liverpool’s match against Aston Villa later that day.
The Ecuador international, who joined Chelsea from Brighton for a then British record fee of £115 million in 2023, has been a standout player amid a fluctuating season for Chelsea. Maresca commented, “Moi is displaying how remarkable he is.”
“He’s exceptional; I’ve said it numerous times, and the best aspect of Moi is that, while we evaluate him on the pitch, he’s incredibly humble and always ready to assist his teammates.”
“I believe that right now he and [Manchester City’s] Rodri are the two best defensive midfielders globally.”
Pedro netted his first goal in ten matches, and Maresca expressed confidence that the forward will regain his scoring form despite ongoing fitness challenges.
“João has never been an issue,” Maresca stated.
“The challenge with João is his inability to train every day due to various problems we are managing. Thus, it’s natural that this affects his performance and fitness levels in every game. However, I have no concerns about João; he is a talented player who will score goals.”
“Even when he wasn’t finding the net, he had strong performances. For example, in our Liverpool match [a 2-1 victory last month], he was also impressive.”
“With Liam [Delap] returning, we now have additional options up front. This is beneficial for us, especially as we’ve missed Cole [Palmer] and have been without Liam for two months. We need attacking players.”