During the build-up to the Chelsea against Arsenal match last week, many previews focused on the midfield battle between Moises Caicedo and Declan Rice. However, we did not see much of a clash between the pair, with Caicedo sent off in the 38th minute of the match.
Caicedo's strong challenge on Mikel Merino led to the Ecuadorian being shown a red card by Anthony Taylor after a VAR intervention. Despite being down to 10 men, Chelsea managed to take the lead through Trevoh Chalobah, but then Merino equalized to rescue a point for the Gunners.
The former Liverpool defender and now pundit, Jamie Carragher, has revealed what he thinks might have impacted Caicedo's psyche in the match. Carragher told Sky Sports, "He was really pumped up, I think we saw that right from the start of the game, I think the whole talk this week of Rice vs Caicedo maybe got to him, understandably so.
"It's a huge game, and he ends up getting himself involved in a challenge. Yes, it's a red card, but it's just daft to get involved in a tackle like that. He doesn't need to."
The Moises Caicedo and Declan Rice comparisons are strange
Caicedo and Rice were going up against each other, and are both key players for their clubs. However, they are very different players. Caicedo is a defensive midfielder, whilst Rice plays more centrally. The Chelsea player is considered the best in the position that used to be known as the 'Makélélé role.' Caicedo has made the defensive midfield position that Claude Makélélé occupied his own.
Soccer is a team sport, but individual battles have been a key part of the game. The debate as to who is better between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo still rages on despite both players no longer competing at the highest level.
The media do have a part to play in hyping up individual battles, but if it did affect Caicedo, then he needs to learn from this. Rice played youth soccer for Chelsea, so he was returning to the club that released him. The Arsenal player still kept his head cool and did not get himself sent off, though.
Caicedo let his team down by making the challenge, but fortunately, his team still managed a point. This could have huge impacts on the season as the Blues are now just six points behind Arsenal in the title race.