Arsenal
Maresca: Caicedo and Rice Occupy Different Roles, Not Direct Comparisons
Enzo Maresca insists Moisés Caicedo and Declan Rice cannot be directly compared due to role changes.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has drawn a clear line between Moisés Caicedo and Declan Rice, arguing that the two are not comparable because of how their positions and responsibilities have evolved.
Maresca, who worked with Rice during an 18-month spell assisting Manuel Pellegrini across 2018 and 2019, emphasised the context of his earlier time with the England international. “It was a little bit different time when I was at West Ham ,” he said. “[Rice] 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 [he] was different age compared to Moisés. But you could see that he was already very, very good.”
Maresca stressed the contrast between Rice’s current role and the more restrained holding duties associated with 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 [Arteta]’s work. He is a fantastic player and he’s a complete player. He can defend, he can attack, he can do anything.”
Arteta has described Rice’s transition in a similar way, outlining why the forward aspects of his game suit Arsenal’s approach. “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 added: “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 himself recognised the difference between his role and Caicedo’s when discussing the 2024–25 PFA Team of the Year process. “I have a lot of respect for Moisés Caicedo,” he told CBS Sports . “I voted him last year in my PFA Team of the Year. I thought he was outstanding.
“There’s so many comparisons, but we’re playing different positions.” The Arsenal squad for that season included Rice alongside Liverpool duo Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister in the PFA selection.
Arsenal
October Premier League award nominees announced
Premier League October award nominees include standout performers and managers across the division.
The Premier League has named the contenders for its October 2026 Player and Manager of the Month awards, with eight players and six managers included on the respective shortlists.
Bournemouth forward Evanilson enjoyed a productive month, finishing October with four goals and one assist from four appearances as his team beat Sunderland, Manchester United and Leeds United after a slow opening to the season.
Aston Villa striker Nicolas Jackson also reached four goals in the month. The former Chelsea player scored twice in the 2-1 win over Manchester City and also found the net in draws against Brentford and Fulham.
Arsenal are represented by Ezri Konsa and Declan Rice after a perfect month. Konsa impressed in defence while William Saliba was absent, keeping two clean sheets in three outings and scoring his first goal for the club. Rice contributed two important assists at the other end.
Jack Rudoni’s form has helped Coventry City. The newly promoted side took two wins from four matches in October, with Rudoni scoring three times as they moved further away from the relegation zone.
Tottenham Hotspur also had an unbeaten month, and Jan Paul van Hecke played a key role in wins over Coventry, Chelsea and Crystal Palace. No player attempted or completed more passes than the Dutch defender last month.
Brighton have two nominees in Luka Vušković and Bart Verbruggen. Three clean sheets in four matches brought recognition for the Seagulls’ defence.
On the managerial shortlist, Chelsea scored more goals than any other team in October with nine, while Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta guided his side to the top of the table. Roberto De Zerbi, Unai Emery, Fabian Hürzeler and Marco Rose complete the list after strong runs during the month.
Month
Player
Club
August
João Pedro
Chelsea
September
Pascal Groß
Brighton
Month
Manager
Club
August
Sergej Jakirović
Hull
September
Arsenal
Barcola highlights Liverpool’s control problem after Arsenal defeat
Barcola says Liverpool need more control after Arsenal and the numbers partly support him.
Bradley Barcola’s reaction to Liverpool’s loss to Arsenal has put a clear focus on the next stage of Andoni Iraola’s rebuild. The forward said the team need greater control and more composure in matches of this kind, especially when they are drawn into direct play rather than keeping the ball on the ground.
That message comes against a generally positive backdrop. Liverpool have already moved past Atlético Madrid, LASK and Villarreal with different levels of comfort, and they remain on course for a top-eight finish for the third straight season. That would spare them two extra fixtures in the new year.
Results have not been the major issue in Iraola’s opening months. Arne Slot’s successor has suffered only two defeats in all competitions, and Liverpool’s European form has been matched by a Carabao Cup quarterfinal place and fifth position in the Premier League. Even so, the rare home defeat to Arsenal showed that the side are still evolving.
Liverpool had their strongest moments after falling behind, with their work without the ball making life difficult for the champions. They controlled territory for long stretches and recorded 30 touches in Arsenal’s box in the first half, yet they did not manage a shot on target before the interval. Alexis Mac Allister also had a chance to level the game before half-time.
After the break, Mikel Arteta’s adjustments helped Arsenal settle, and Liverpool’s momentum faded. Barcola struggled to make repeated one-on-one progress and at times did not even look to take Jurrïen Timber on.
The numbers back up part of his complaint. Liverpool completed just 11 long passes, with a success rate of 25%, and only 11% of their crosses found a team-mate. Their average possession share ranks seventh in the Premier League, per Opta, while they have also produced 17 through balls, the joint-10th-highest total.
Barcola’s own game is built around running in behind, and he is still waiting for his first Premier League goal. Signed for huge money as Liverpool’s third-most expensive arrival ever, he was not universally viewed as a direct Mohamed Salah replacement because he prefers to play on the left. Salah left Anfield at the end of last season and later joined Trabzonspor on a free transfer, but Barcola said he feels no pressure from that departure: “Regarding Mo Salah, he’s a legend here. A huge one. He’s done big things here, and for that I have an enormous respect for him. But it’s not pressure for me at all.
Arsenal
Arteta sees Saliba return as a solution, not a selection issue
Arteta says Arsenal’s centre-back depth is a luxury, not a problem, as Saliba nears his return.
Mikel Arteta does not view Arsenal’s growing options at centre back as a concern. Instead, he believes the return of William Saliba, alongside Gabriel and Ezri Konsa, gives the squad a chance to manage the season more effectively.
Konsa, who started most of England’s run to a third-place finish at the tournament, was signed in August with the understanding that Saliba would be unavailable for several months. Since then, he has settled into the Arsenal line-up and has been consistently reliable.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday after Arsenal arrived in Czechia for their Champions League meeting with Slavia Prague, Arteta suggested Saliba is now close to being available whenever the manager chooses to call on him.
“He’s in, and he’s in like anybody else,” Arteta explained. “All the preparation has been done to measure all the loads and all the steps that he had to do to minimize that risk. Now he’s in a really good place. He’s built the capacity that we needed and now it’s about giving him minutes.
“A center back normally has to be able to play 90 minutes and that’s why all the preparation that we’ve done to build him.” Saliba himself, Arteta said, is “very desperate” to get back and will have the “right amount of minutes very soon.”
For Saliba to regain his place, one of Gabriel or Konsa would need to step aside. Arteta said that having all three available is a “luxury” Arsenal have not enjoyed earlier in the season.
“I wouldn’t call it a problem,” he said. “We can talk about problems that are very different to that one.”
Arteta has long spoken about the physical strain placed on players across four club competitions, plus international commitments. He believes a deeper pool at centre back can help Arsenal rotate more intelligently and handle the demands of the schedule with greater control.
