Nottingham Forest – Chelsea: Are the Blues overly reliant on Enzo - Caicedo?

18/10/2025 07:56:00 ChampionChatter

Chelsea’s standout feature this season is not a formidable forward line with many new players, but rather the central midfield partnership of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.

Chelsea excels at creating central midfield pairs. From Matic - Fabregas to Kante - Jorginho, and in the past two seasons, Enzo - Caicedo, whose combined market value nears £230 million.

Contributing both offensively and defensively, covering the whole pitch.

The "insane" transfer fees paid for this duo during the two 2023 transfer windows sparked skepticism. Now everyone recognizes them as one of the best midfield pairs worldwide at the moment. They are Chelsea’s leading scorers in the Premier League so far with 3 goals each, although their importance is expressed in different ways.

Caicedo tops the five major European leagues in tackles (28) and interceptions (18) this season. The Ecuadorian midfielder’s tackling ability was proven last season with a total of 142 tackles without ever receiving a red card or suspension. Caicedo’s successful duel rate last season was also notable at 59%, higher than other famous Premier League midfielders such as Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch.

Caicedo also impressed everyone by playing 4 matches within 14 days last October for both Chelsea and Ecuador, traveling nearly 25,000 km. He was one of seven Chelsea players who started every Premier League match last season, becoming the first midfielder since Frank Lampard in 2004-05 to achieve this.

Meanwhile, coach Enzo Maresca highly values the versatility of 24-year-old Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez. He has played 619 minutes in the Premier League this season, second only to Caicedo’s 630 minutes. The Italian coach believes Enzo’s endurance and ability to adapt to various roles help him a lot: "Enzo can play in multiple positions, either as a central midfielder or an attacking midfielder. This depends on the plan for each match. Enzo is a very important player, and we try to make the most of his versatility." Their good performances help Maresca’s Chelsea worry less when the attack struggles to convert chances and the defense faces a personnel crisis due to injuries causing frequent individual mistakes.

Enzo - Caicedo are irreplaceable for Chelsea at present.

Concerns about overdependence

The fact that Caicedo and Enzo consistently play together partly stems from issues with other midfielders. Romeo Lavia has not yet reached full fitness after several injuries and has only made one substitute appearance, while newcomer Dario Essugo will be out until the end of the year due to a thigh injury. Andrey Santos has just returned from Strasbourg and lacks experience.

This raises concerns about what will happen to Maresca’s midfield if Chelsea lose Caicedo, Enzo, or both. The only match Caicedo rested this season was the win over Lincoln in the third round of the League Cup last month. Enzo hasn’t missed a single match and recently worried Chelsea fans with a knee injury during the FIFA Days with Argentina. If it is serious, Chelsea will lose a key tactical option for Maresca.

Looking further ahead, Chelsea must be cautious about other clubs’ interest in the Caicedo - Enzo duo, especially Real Madrid. Xabi Alonso’s team had targeted Enzo before and now added Caicedo to their list of potential summer transfer targets. It’s no coincidence that Chelsea is trying to persuade the Ecuadorian midfielder to sign a new contract with a higher salary, despite his current deal running until 2032.

The importance of this midfield pair will be tested again in the upcoming away match against Nottingham Forest this weekend, a team eager for their first victory under Postecoglou’s management.

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