Part 2 End of the Season Review: Chelsea's Player of the Season
CHELSEA PLAYER OF THE SEASON
There are only two options for this and the debate could go either way. The two choices are Robert Sanchez…. Hahahhaha gotcha! No for real, Caicedo or Cucurella are 1A and 1B. One can make an argument for either of them to be player of the season.
Cucurella's career has been revitalized at Chelsea. Many fans had written him off after a poor first season and a lackluster first half of the season last year. However, give credit to Poch for inverting him at the end of the season and revitalizing Cucurella’s career at Chelsea.
Year to year Cucurella has progressed more than any other Chelsea player. This season he was a standout, and arguably the best left-back in the Premier League, even though the end-of-the-year league awards did not reflect this.
Cucurella made his mark this season by becoming an inverted left-back who oftentimes found his way into the box. This led to him scoring seven goals and adding another three assists across 48 matches. The argument could be made that he was the best striker at Chelsea this season!
However, despite Cucurella having an incredible season and the best hair on the team, Caicedo had a brilliant year.
Caicedo has established himself as the premier midfielder in the Premier League. Chelsea swindled Brighton for his services and the Caicedo has lived up to every penny of his Premier League record fee. Caicedo had many stand-out moments this season besides his mask and hair combo which is a superpower unlike anything ever seen before.
1. Durability- Caicedo has remarkable durability which is one of his most underrated characteristics. Caicedo was the first Chelsea player to play all 38 Premier League matches for Chelsea since Azpilicueta did it in the 2018/19 season. This is an incredible achievement that many people and pundits are not talking about. This will not show up in the stat books but damn it is important when the best player for Chelsea is on the pitch every match!
The amount of times Caicedo would make a stunning tackle or be tackled hard and laid on the pitch longer than expected I would light my Caicedo alter in my house and pray to 8 lb 6 oz baby Jesus.
2. Stats Don’t Lie- Caicedo’s stats are something that is not talked about enough. He ranks near the top of most of the key stats that make him one of the best holding midfielders in the Premier League.
a. Tackles- Caicedo racked up 114 total tackles placing him 4th among midfielders.
b. Interceptions- Caicedo totaled 49 interceptions placing him 2nd amongst midfielders.
c. Total Duels Won %- Caicedo topped this category at 58.85% amongst midfielders.
d. Accurate Passing %- Caicedo had an impressive 90.15% passing accuracy amongst midfielders.
The stats do not lie and STATISTICALLY speaking Caicedo was THE best midfielder this season in the Premier League.
THE FINAL WHISTLE
Caicedo was the best Chelsea player this season hands down. He leads the team with his humble yet passionate approach. He has set himself apart from the rest of midfielders in the Premier League and is becoming world class! He is only 23 years old and if he keeps this form going forward he might be a Chelsea legend by age 25!!!