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Moises Caicedo thinks three of his Chelsea teammates could have beaten him to Player of the Season award

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It is fair to say that Moises Caicedo feels quite fortunate to be Chelsea Players’ Player of the Season.

Caicedo won both the Chelsea Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season awards on Sunday night, which followed his side’s impressive victory over Liverpool.

Enzo Maresca‘s men beat Arne Slot’s team 3-1 at Stamford Bridge to give their chances of finishing in the top five a big boost.

Position Team Played MP Won W Drawn D Lost L For GF Against GA Diff GD Points Pts
1 LiverpoolLiverpool35 25 7 3 81 35 46 82
2 ArsenalArsenal35 18 13 4 64 31 33 67
3 Man CityManchester City35 19 7 9 67 43 24 64
4 NewcastleNewcastle35 19 6 10 66 45 21 63
5 ChelseaChelsea35 18 9 8 62 41 21 63
6 Nottm ForestNottingham Forest34 18 6 10 53 41 12 60
7 Aston VillaAston Villa35 17 9 9 55 49 6 60
8 B’mouthBournemouth35 14 11 10 55 42 13 53

Caicedo started and impressed many and has now been rewarded for all of his excellent performances this season.

Chelsea FC v Everton FC - Premier League
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images

Moises Caicedo backed Marc Cucurella, Enzo Fernandez or Cole Palmer to win Chelsea award

Marc Cucurella, Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer have also had good campaigns, and Caicedo actually thought one of the trio would claim the Players’ Player of the Season award.

Speaking to Chelsea’s official website after picking up the honour, the midfielder said: “Being given this award (the Players’ Player of the Year) by my team-mates means a lot to me, but it is also for them. They help me every day and in every game; it is an award for them too.

“I maybe expected it a little, but as I was watching the video [of who the players voted for], I thought first it was Marc Cucurella, then Enzo, and then Cole because they have all had good seasons. So I was very pleased when I heard my name.”

Palmer will not feel too hard done by after losing out to Caicedo. Before the award ceremony, Palmer had already discussed Caicedo’s impact this season, stating that he had been Chelsea’s “best player”.

That has now been officially recognised by his teammates and supporters, who were responsible for the voting in both awards.

All of that will mean nothing to Caicedo, though, if Chelsea end up missing out on Champions League qualification. That was his and the rest of the team’s ultimate goal heading into this campaign.

If they can beat Newcastle United in their next Premier League game, however, then there is a great chance of them getting the job done.

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Chelsea players before Arsenal game
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images

Where Moises Caicedo is outperforming his teammates

All in all, Caicedo has deserved the accolades he has just collected. Defensively, the Ecuadorian has been phenomenal for Chelsea this term.

For example, in the Premier League, Caicedo leads this team when it comes to tackles, interceptions and blocks.

Moises Caicedo’s defensive statsTotal
Tackles100
Interceptions47
Blocks44
Via FBref

Had Palmer not gone off the boil in the second half of the season, then the Englishman probably would have taken home both awards. But Caicedo has been way more consistent compared to his teammate.