Welcome to The Radar. Nick Wright’s Sky Sports column combines data and opinion to highlight must-know stories from the top and bottom of the Premier League. this week:
🔴 The evolution of Rice’s attack at Arsenal
🔥 Caicedo’s ball winning ability and press resistance
🔍 Players to watch this weekend
Caicedo or rice? Fierce midfield battle
Sunday’s clash between Chelsea and Arsenal will be broadcast live on Sky Sports and will pit the top two teams in the Premier League against each other. It’s also a battle between the two best midfielders. Moises Caicedo vs. Declan Rice is more of a box office attraction in its own right than a subplot.
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As Arsenal and Chelsea fans debate which midfielder is better, take a look at the best shots of Rice and Caicedo at Arsenal and Chelsea.
What happened in midweek suggested the pair may actually be the best players in Europe, Premier League aside. Twenty-four hours after Caicedo dominated Barcelona’s midfield at Stamford Bridge, Declan Rice did the same for Bayern Munich at the Emirates Stadium. The two Champions League powerhouses dominated.
These midweek performances added new similarities between the two players, whose destinies have been intertwined since joining their respective clubs a month apart in 2023 for a transfer fee of more than £100m.
In both cases, the expense was justified.
In another life, you might even turn to the other side on Sunday. Caicedo was once a transfer target for Arsenal. Rice joined West Ham after coming through Chelsea’s academy.
However, there are also differences between the two, most notably in terms of position. “He’s a full-fledged No. 6, but I’m a box-to-box No. 8,” Rice told Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher on Wednesday.
Heat map of Caicedo and Rice shows how their positions differ
Rice’s role continues to evolve in ways that few expected when he joined Arsenal. Having moved from a number six to a left-sided number eight in his first two seasons, he now plays somewhere between the two, or more precisely, anywhere in between, as part of a midfield axis alongside Martin Zvimendi.
Rice played his first year as a No. 6, his second as a No. 8 and is now part of a double pivot with Martin Zvimendi (36).
“He is becoming a complete player,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said earlier this month. “A total player has to do as much as possible and he has the ability to do that.”
The game against Bayern Munich, where he was named Man of the Match, was the latest example of that perfection. Rice was everywhere, sometimes darting beyond Bayern’s last line. Others traced their attempts to win, one of which was celebrated as if former Spurs striker Harry Kane scored late in the game.
His set-piece delivery was a revelation. Just two weeks ago, he was named as a candidate for the Puskas Trophy after scoring his second stunning free-kick against Real Madrid in April. However, his offensive threat is not limited to dead ball situations. Arsenal have benefited richly by taking him further.
His 31 goals and assists in the Premier League over the past three seasons are almost three times as many as Caicedo’s. This is Arsenal’s fourth highest total in the same period, behind Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz.
He became an invaluable offensive weapon.
Of course, Caicedo plays further from the goal than Rice. However, he has plenty of ability to contribute offensively as well. He has scored three goals in the Premier League this season, including stunning long-range strikes against Liverpool and Brentford, already more than he has scored in the previous two seasons combined.
Like Rice, he has the potential for flexibility. Graham Potter used him as a number eight before establishing him as Brighton’s number six under manager Roberto de Zerbi. The latter is considered his best role at Independiente del Valle in Ecuador, where he spent his childhood.
Sunday, November 30th 4pm
4:30pm kickoff
The club’s former head coach, Miguel Ángel Ramírez, said in an interview with Sky Sports: “Moises had a bigger impact in the game and helped the team even more as a number eight, because he had the ability to score, he could make the last pass, he could get into the box and he was very active even in the first pressure.”
These attributes could open up possibilities similar to those that Arsenal utilized with Rice in the future. But now he is Enzo Maresca as Chelsea’s No. 6, and he has few rivals for the ball.
Caicedo excels as a ball winner in Chelsea’s midfield
Caicedo combines exceptional physicality with a rare level of tactical awareness, almost always finding the right position to shut down his opponent’s attacks and negate counters. He has made the most interceptions in the Premier League this season. He also ranks high in tackles and possession gained in the middle third.
He not only plays a key role in building Chelsea’s attack, but also in ruining the opponent’s attack. His performance against Barcelona, in which he completed 69 of 73 passes for a success rate of 94.5 percent, highlighted his composure and quality on the ball.
Caicedo’s death has not been as widespread as Rice’s. Rice completes nearly twice as many long passes on average. However, the Ecuadorian international is the best in the Premier League when it comes to retaining the ball under pressure, and this is another point where both players excel despite their different positions.
It’s entirely possible that Rice will be the player to put pressure on Caicedo at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, and vice versa. Two players who appear to be at the peak of their absolute power will battle for dominance in a midfield battle that may ultimately decide the outcome of the match.
Will Anderson be the next £100m midfielder?
There is another Premier League midfielder who could soon rival Caicedo and Rice in Nottingham Forest’s Elliott Anderson.
Signed from Newcastle for £35m last year, the 23-year-old is already tipped to be a £100m player and it’s easy to see why.
Anderson has excelled during a difficult season for Forest, who have changed managers twice and sit one point above the relegation zone. They would have been in a much worse situation without him.
Anderson, who has established himself at international level with England this season, does everything an elite central midfielder is supposed to do, both in possession and off the ball, and has the kind of name recognition that top clubs would want to spend big money on.
Player Radar: Other Players to Watch
Morgan Rodgers dominates the discourse about Aston Villa, but don’t overlook the importance of the underrated Boubakar Kamara.
Unai Emery’s side have won 64% of games this season when he starts, compared to 33% without him. Expect him to quietly play a key role when they face the Wolves on Sunday.
Live Radar: What’s on Sky this weekend?
A double header will take place on Saturday, with Everton playing Newcastle at 5.30pm before Tottenham face Fulham at 8pm. Watch Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event live from 5pm.
Sunday will be a multi-view extravaganza, with Aston Villa v Wolves, Nottingham Forest v Brighton and West Ham v Liverpool being shown on Sky Sports from 2.05pm.
Then there’s the important thing. The match between Chelsea and Arsenal will be available to watch on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 4pm, ahead of kick-off at 4.30pm.
Read the last radar column
The Rader family was struck down by illness last week, and Colum was an unfortunate victim. The last article published before the international break asked whether Liverpool could stop Erling Haaland. Narrator’s voice: They couldn’t stop Erling Haaland.
