{"id":109246,"date":"2025-10-09T15:06:03","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T15:06:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=109246"},"modified":"2025-10-09T15:06:03","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T15:06:03","slug":"i-think-moises-caicedo-is-a-great-midfielder-but-this-particular-arsenal-midfielder-is-ahead-of-himeven-better-than-me-man-city-midfielder-rodri-chooses-arsenals-m","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=109246","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI think Moises Caicedo is a great midfielder but this particular Arsenal midfielder is ahead of him\u2026Even better than me\u201d: Man City midfielder Rodri chooses Arsenal\u2019s midfielder as the best in Premier League"},"content":{"rendered":"

Moises Caicedo took the plaudits in Chelsea\u2019s victory over Liverpool, but Danny Murphy believes another midfielder pips him in the overall debate.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Caicedo played a starring role as the Blues ran out 2-1 winners in a thriller at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, scoring a stunning opener before having a hand in his side\u2019s last-gasp winner.<\/p>\n

Brazilian starlet Estevao Willian won the match in the fifth minute of stoppage time, but it was the Ecuadorian who started the move with a fine pass to bypass the Liverpool press.<\/p>\n

This was the latest in the string of impressive displays from Caicedo, while he also came out on top in a hotly-anticipated midfield battle.<\/p>\n

The 23-year-old was dominant as he took on another of the league\u2019s standout performers in Ryan Gravenberch, and their clash has sparked plenty of debate in the talkSPORT studio.<\/p>\n

Arsenal\u2019s Declan Rice and Manchester City star Rodri make up a quartet of elite defensive midfielders in the top-flight, with the former also netting in his side\u2019s victory over West Ham.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Rodri\u2019s exploits saw him win the 2024 Ballon d\u2019Or, before an ACL injury ruled him out for the majority of last season.<\/p>\n

Advertisement
\nWith plenty to consider, it made for a serious debate when former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy and football writer Darren Lewis debated just who comes out on top.
\n
\nIs Caicedo the best midfielder in the Premier League?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Murphy heaped praise on Caicedo for his recent displays, which have forced him into the equation among the very best in his position.<\/p>\n

Speaking on talkSPORT\u2019s Kick Off, he began: \u201cCaicedo\u2019s been outstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked if his recent form made him the best midfielder in the league, Murphy replied: \u201cHe\u2019s in the conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me Gravenberch, Rice, Caicedo \u2013 those three come to mind straight away. They\u2019ve all got a little bit different attributes.<\/p>\n

Caicedo\u2019s all-round game has impressed Murphy, and his Premier League stats show exactly why<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIn terms of an all-round midfielder \u2013 the thing is Caicedo\u2019s kind of changed people\u2019s view a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Explaining his view, Murphy highlighted Caicedo\u2019s improved output this term, who has found the net three times in the Premier League this season, two more than his entire tally last term.<\/p>\n

The ex-Brighton man also stands out in defensive contributions, as he leads the way in most tackles in the league.<\/p>\n

The former England midfielder said: \u201cIn the last three weeks, he\u2019s scored two worldies \u2013 one at Brentford, and the one against Liverpool.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think up until then his goals tally was pretty damn dismal: Because a lot of people were saying he doesn\u2019t create.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd he\u2019s not a creative passer \u2013 he\u2019s not going get it out of his feet and split open a defence.<\/p>\n

\u201cGravenberch can do that a bit more, Declan [Rice] can do that a little bit, but they\u2019ve all got these wonderful qualities \u2013 they\u2019re all tenacious, they\u2019re all strong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019d still have Gravenberch ahead of him\u2019
\nWhile Caicedo came out on top on Saturday, Murphy still believes Gravenberch leads the way overall out of the above trio.<\/p>\n

Delivering his final verdict, Murphy said: \u201cFor me, although he\u2019s [Caicedo] playing probably the best at the moment, as a holding midfielder, I\u2019d still have Gravenberch ahead of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

After playing a starring role in Liverpool\u2019s title win last term, Gravenberch has taken his game to the next level this season, scoring and assisting twice in his opening six league games.<\/p>\n

With two goals and two assists this season, the Dutchman has already equalled his goal contributions for the whole of the 2024\/25 campaign, where he provided four assists in 49 games in all competitions.<\/p>\n

Where does Rodri come into this?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite focusing on Rice, Caicedo and Gravenberch, both Murphy and Lewis were in no doubt which player comes out on top on their day.<\/p>\n

When asked where a fully fit Rodri ranks out of the quartet, Murphy replied: \u201cRodri is better than all of them. Levels [above].<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a couple of years, two or three seasons, Rodri\u2019s levels were nothing short of magnificent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rodri was Man City\u2019s key player during their 2022\/23 European treble win, even scoring the winning goal in the Champions League final from defensive midfield.<\/p>\n

He also went 74 games unbeaten for club and country, setting a new professional record, which helped earn him the 2024 Ballon d\u2019Or.<\/p>\n

Highlighting his importance, Murphy said: \u201cWhen people talk about how brilliant he\u2019s been, the other thing that people forget \u2013 he came into City to replace arguably one of the best holding midfield players, Fernandinho, that we\u2019d seen in the Premier League for 20 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat pressure to take over from him \u2013 because he was an amazing player as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rodri\u2019s influence on his team was clear during his absence, with City failing to win a trophy without him last season.<\/p>\n

Since his return, he has been in and out of the City team, playing six out of a possible nine games this season, and was most recently ruled out for two-three weeks after being forced off with a hamstring issue against Brentford on Sunday.<\/p>\n

And Lewis admitted that City cannot afford for another long-term injury to their star man if they are to challenge for titles again.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cHe hasn\u2019t got to his best yet. He\u2019s still finding his form and his fitness.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if it was anything more serious than a hamstring injury, that could have been it for another season for them because he\u2019s that influential, even his presence is influential.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Moises Caicedo took the plaudits in Chelsea\u2019s victory over Liverpool, but Danny Murphy believes anot<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":109247,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-109246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football"],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cI think Moises Caicedo is a great midfielder but this particular Arsenal midfielder is ahead of him\u2026Even better than me\u201d: Man City midfielder Rodri chooses Arsenal\u2019s midfielder as the best in Premier League - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=109246\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cI think Moises Caicedo is a great midfielder but this particular Arsenal midfielder is ahead of him\u2026Even better than me\u201d: Man City midfielder Rodri chooses Arsenal\u2019s midfielder as the best in Premier League - 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