Declan Rice has revealed he voted for Moises Caicedo in last season’s PFA Team of the Year, as two of the most expensive midfielders in Premier League history prepare to face each other this weekend.
With Chelsea six points behind Arsenal ahead of Sunday’s meeting at Stamford Bridge, the long-running comparisons between the two £100m-plus midfielders have resurfaced once again. Arsenal were heavily linked with Caicedo before his move from Brighton, while Rice arrived from West Ham in the same summer, setting up a rivalry that has been fuelled by a forced media debate ever since.
Speaking to CBS Sports after Arsenal’s 3-1 Champions League victory over Bayern Munich, Rice made clear where his own respect lies.
“First and foremost, I have a lot of respect for Moises,” Rice said. “I have played against him since the Brighton days, since I was at West Ham. I voted for him last year in my PFA Team of the Year. I thought he was outstanding last year, and he has started this year incredibly well.
“There’s so much comparison, but we are playing different positions. He’s a full-blown six, and I am more of a box-to-box eight.
“Sunday is going to be an interesting game, but the most important thing is that I have a lot of respect for him as a player, like Roy (Keane) and Patrick (Vieira) did (for each other).
“It’s an exciting battle between us, and it’s one I’ll be ready for.”
The fixture comes for both clubs following emphatic European wins. Chelsea dismantled a terrible (and 10-man) Barcelona 3-0 in midweek, with Brazilian teenager Estevao Willian scoring a standout individual goal, although Enzo Maresca gave little indication over whether the forward would start on Sunday.
“If he (Estevao) doesn’t play then Pedro Neto plays wide in that position and Pedro Neto is good. We are happy with Pedro. It depends on the game plan who are the 11 players (who start),” Maresca said via the club’s official website.
“In probably the most difficult game of the season, Barcelona, we decided to play with Estevao; I am not a coach who doesn’t allow players to play minutes. It’s always about the game plan. A lot of people say we are unpredictable, but the game plan defines the starting 11.”