Moises Caicedo
Brighton, 2021–
Chelsea have agreed a record British transfer fee of £115m with Brighton for the vastly talented Moisés Caicedo. This came just days after Liverpool had agreed a £111m deal with Brighton. Earlier, in January 2023, Brighton had stood firm in saying Caicedo was not for sale, amid attempts by Arsenal and Chelsea to buy him in the winter window. Even a string of social media posts from Caicedo, willing his club to allow him to leave, were not enough to force Brighton’s hand. But that has changed with Chelsea's mammoth offer.
So, what is it that makes the central midfielder so sought after only 45 Premier League games? We’ve taken a detailed look at his game, to see what exactly Caicedo does, and what he will bring to his next club.
Tactical analysis
Caicedo is a versatile and technically gifted player who can play in several different positions in midfield. He developed both physically and technically very early, so when he moved to Brighton from Independiente del Valle in Ecuador at the age of 19, he took to the Premier League with relative ease. He is also tactically astute for his age, full of confidence, and willing to take the initiative with the ball. He will constantly make himself available as a passing option and is bold in possession. Even as a teenager, he looked at home in the Premier League.
Although he can play in a variety of different midfield roles, he is best as either the defensive midfielder or a right-sided number eight in a 4-3-3. When selected as the deepest-lying midfielder, he attempts to progress play through the centre of the pitch whenever he can. He is comfortable either dropping alongside the centre-backs to then feed the ball past the opposition’s first line and into midfield, or receiving on the half-turn on the other side of the opposition’s attackers. When he receives between the lines, he is composed under pressure and maintains the speed of his team's attacks with a side-on body position that means he can turn to face forwards very quickly after taking his first touch. He scans frequently and makes good decisions on the ball.
Wherever he gets on the ball, Caicedo looks to play vertical passes at every opportunity. He has fantastic vision, and is skilled at finding gaps to progress play through, either directly to a teammate’s feet or with a pass for them to run on to (above). He has exceptional close control, and is adept on the ball in tight spaces. This makes him particularly useful following a regain, as he can quickly work the ball into space to set a teammate free in transition. He can sometimes try overambitious passes, though; by looking to play the simple ball more often, he could improve his overall game. That said, when his ambitious passes come off, they can change the face of his team’s move in an instant.
He is intelligent out of possession and will counter-press with intensity immediately after the ball has been lost. He picks and chooses his moments to move out of his slot to make an attempt to win the ball, meaning he rarely gets caught the wrong side of play. He spots opportunities to win the ball – when a teammate has put the ball-carrier under pressure, for example – and he’ll be ready, on the front foot, to pounce and steal the ball in the event of a loose pass (below). He makes a vast number of tackles, but that does lead to him giving away a few too many fouls and receiving the odd yellow card. He could be a bit less eager in certain situations, to avoid giving away quite so many free-kicks and heaping pressure on his defence.
Playing as a defensive midfielder
Caicedo was mostly used in a defensive-midfield role at Brighton, usually in a double pivot. He ranks among the best players in the Premier League for defensive duels, and is very effective acting as the protection for the defence. He is very positionally aware, and does a good job both in transition and in a set defensive block. He can also press backwards well, helping force his opponent towards a central defender who can then attempt to regain possession. He is aggressive in his attempts to win the ball and uses his upper-body strength to move his opponent out of the way.
Another of Caicedo’s strengths out of possession is how he forces play in a particular direction. He has excellent understanding of how to slow down the opposition’s attacks, and when to leave the centre of the pitch to move into the wide areas to press. His ability to spot moments when he should move wide (below) helps protect the space underneath the wingers and full-backs. This was key for Brighton, whose full-backs and wingers on both sides of the pitch aggressively push forward off the ball. Caicedo supplied some much-needed security underneath it.
With the ball, Caicedo quickly showed a good understanding of De Zerbi’s build-up play. This involves using a very deep double pivot, who draw in pressers when combining with the centre-backs, and then work the ball wide or into the attackers between the lines. Caicedo was therefore key to De Zerbi implementing his playing style swiftly and effectively. Caicedo’s ability to twist away from his marker at the last second when receiving helps him play away from pressure, and he also has the vision and ability to play passes around the corner during deeper build-up. He was perfect for De Zerbi’s football in this role.
Number eight
Caicedo has also been used in a slightly more advanced number eight central-midfield role when Graham Potter and De Zerbi used a back three. In this position, with three defenders behind the double pivot, Caicedo can join a press further forwards, but is then less able to press back towards his central defenders. His pressing and overall defensive presence is enhanced in the wider areas, though, as he starts higher up the pitch and closer to the opposition, so is better positioned to lock the ball near the touchline by pressing outwards. He will also jump forward to press and compete for loose balls near the opposition’s pivot, which means he can get the ball to his attacking teammates, or look to play into the space in behind the opposition’s defence, much earlier after a regain.
During more sustained possession, Caicedo will also look to clip passes over the opposition’s back line – usually he looked for Brighton’s left winger. Direct runs beyond from Kaoru Mitoma or Leandro Trossard were often his target, with Caicedo making sure to provide support underneath the ball. This ensures added protection in defensive transition, but also offers a passing route out if the point of attack is changed. At Brighton, Caicedo dropped in to allow left-back Pervis Estupiñán to overlap, which in turn meant the left winger could rotate inside. Caicedo then had the ability to slip passes through the opposition for Estupiñán to affect the game in the final third (above).
Caicedo is an immensely talented midfielder with a very bright future. At Brighton he has proved his worth, leading to transfer interest from many of Europe’s biggest clubs and a bidding war between Chelsea and Liverpool.
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