Rice did not hide his admiration for his fellow star midfielder.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has warned fans it is impossible to compare Blues star Moisés Caicedo with Arsenal’s Declan Rice because of the pair’s differing roles on the pitch. Caicedo has received widespread acclaim this season—praise which Chelsea supporters will argue he deserved 12 months ago—and is now being hailed as perhaps theeven before the build-up to Sunday’s meeting between the two London rivals.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca is in an unique position, having worked with both players during his career.Enzo Maresca is enjoying working with Caicedo. / Juan Mabromata/AFP/Getty Images“ was younger, I spent many extra sessions with Declan, one vs. one, and you could see that he was already very good. “He was with second-team players as a central defender. Manuel Pellegrini decided to play him in the first team as a midfielder but was different age compared to Moisés. But you could see that he was already very, very good.” Rice has since moved away from the defensive role afforded to him at West Ham, and Maresca believes his role is now too different to compare to Caicedo. “He’s not playing as a holding midfielder,” Maresca stressed. “He’s playing forward, he’s playing like Enzo Fernandez. It’s a different position. “It’s evolution for him and it’s Mikel ’s work. He is a fantastic player and he’s a complete player. He can defend, he can attack, he can do anything.”Mikel Arteta hails Rice’s continued improvement. / James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images As Maresca pointed out, Rice’s emergence at West Ham came as a centre back, before he really made his name as a defensive midfielder. He was signed to take up a similar role at“He can adapt to anything that you throw at him,” Arteta explained when asked about this transition. “But at the moment that forward thinking and anything that is in front of him is probably much more positive for the team. He has earned the right to increase that role, to be more and more important, to be very present in everything that we do. “He’s in the leadership group, which is very important as well, and it’s a real presence. Sometimes you don’t need to just wear the armband to feel really connected, really powerful and really important in the team.” Arteta went on to confess he believed Rice was in his prime during the early months of his Arsenal tenure, but the new attacking side of his game has taken the England international’s talents to new heights. “Probably yes, a year or two ago,” Arteta admitted. “But now being with him every single day and understanding and connecting with him in the way that I’ve done, we’re going to get more. Because he wants more and he’s going to get more. “The team knows him better, his role is growing around the team, the impact that he has on the team is huge and we’ll find ways to make it even better.”Rice enjoyed his battles with Caicedo last season. / Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images“There’s so many comparisons, but we’re playing different positions.”Tom Gott is a writer, reporter and editor for Sports Illustrated FC. A lifelong Chelsea fan and academy football enthusiast, he spends far too much time on Football Manager.
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