Craig Burley raves about Chelsea player who’s ‘amazing’ out of possession

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ESPN pundit Craig Burley was full of praise for Chelsea after they stretched their winning run in midweek by beating Southampton away from home.

Chelsea thrashed Southampton 5-1 at St Mary’s on Wednesday night to make it three consecutive victories in the Premier League.

Enzo Maresca continues to enhance his reputation as the Blues manager by leading his side up to second in the league table. Incidentally, Chelsea’s travelling fans chanted Maresca’s name versus Southampton.

• READ MORE: Enzo Maresca shares the change he made after 15 minutes that helped Chelsea get so much better vs Southampton

Craig Burley on Moises Caicedo

Craig Burley has singled out Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo for his brilliance in the centre of the park.

The 23-year-old defensive midfielder has gone up to another level with his performances this season. In particular, it’s been highlighted how effective he is out of possession.

Burley told ESPN: “The legs Chelsea have got in midfield, the ability to win the ball back and tackle, the same as Liverpool, is pretty scary. The job Caicedo does off the ball is amazing. He’s like a leech. You can’t get away from him. He gets these tackles in where you think, ‘How has he done that?’.”

Chelsea’s Caicedo says his defensive work is most important, so it should come as no surprise the all-action central midfielder is an expert off the ball.

The Ecuador international is the heartbeat of the Blues midfield, while Enzo Fernandez is partnering him excellently well recently.

Alan Shearer put Chelsea’s Caicedo in his Team of the Season so far, and there’s no doubt he’s one of the Premier League’s very best right now.

Moises Caicedo impressive again for Chelsea

Yet again, Caicedo played well in the Southampton victory last night. It’s no coincidence that him and Cole Palmer are the only two Chelsea players to start every league match so far this campaign.

FOTMOB data provided the individual statistics from another solid Caicedo performance:

• Minutes played – 90
• Match rating – 7.4
• Touches – 76
• Accurate passes – 65/69 (94%)
• Chances created – 3
• Tackles won – 1/2 (50%)
• Recoveries – 4
• Clearances – 1
• Duels won – 2
• Fouls committed – 3

Based on form this season, Caicedo is definitely one of the very first names on the Chelsea team sheet. It’s great to see the high work rate he puts in off the ball is noticed and praised.