Caicedo could prove the perfect solution to Liverpool's dysfunctional midfield

Moises Caicedo has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence. After earning his first call up to the Ecuador senior team in October 2020, he managed to score his first goal a couple of days later, becoming the first player born in the 21st century to ever score in a CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying match. He joined Brighton in February 2021 and has worked his way into the team as one of their most important players, making the final Ecuador squad in Qatar for the World Cup, where he even scored. 

Despite only making 24 league appearances for Brighton since the start of last season, he is already being linked with a high profile move away from the south coast. 

The rumours were heightened when he supposedly liked a tweet in relation to Liverpool, who Brighton face this weekend, and after their poor start to the season, it is no wonder they are looking to bolster the midfield with a player of Caicedo’s quality. 

Question marks have been raised over the quality and depth of the Reds' midfield with Fabinho not at his usual best, Jordan Henderson the wrong side of 30, and an injury crisis that has hit them in multiple areas of the pitch all season long.  

They have lost possession more times than any other team (2687) in the Premier League this season, which does suggest they are really struggling to control and dictate games. 

Comparing Caicedo alone to Fabinho, and it’s clear to see how much of an upgrade Jurgen Klopp’s side would be getting and the difference he could make to enhance the team. 

The Brighton midfielder ranks higher in a variety of areas of the pitch, including making more tackles (3.0 per 90), more interceptions (1.4 per 90) and even registering more goal contributions (2). 

But even taking a wider perspective of things, and Caicedo is up there as one of the top performers in the Premier League this season.  

His 47 tackles are the fifth highest in the Premier League, while his 23 interceptions rank seventh, and he has only been dribbled past eight times in his 1428 minutes of action this season, which does suggest that overall he commands the midfield for his team. 

Even getting forward he offers something to his side. Despite playing in a deeper midfield role, he has still managed to register 18 key passes for Brighton, which is fourth highest among his teammates, while he has also scored one and assisted one too.  

He also averages 2.4 accurate long balls per game, which can split teams open in a matter of seconds with the right players to pick out, which is the case at Brighton, but even more so at Liverpool where they have an abundance of attacking players, including newly signed 6ft4in Cody Gakpo, who would thrive off these raking passes.  

Overall, Caicedo is that all-round type of player that can instantly make an impact in a team and raise the standards of the players within it. 

The one problem could be ill-discipline. Liverpool rank the lowest for number of cards received (15 yellows, 1 red), while they are the third lowest for fouls committed per game this season (8.8). On the other hand, Caicedo has received five yellow cards in the Premier League, which is the joint third highest, and only six away from matching the highest yellow card recipients last season. 

He also ranks second for fouls committed (33), only behind Nottingham Forest’s Ryan Yates (36) and this has seen the Brighton star develop a statistically calculated WhoScored style of play of  'commits fouls often'. The game against Arsenal, which he missed through suspension, could have gone the Seagulls' way, had he been available for the welcome of the Gunners, especially looking back at the point when they threatened to make a comeback. 

But this is unlikeky to put Liverpool off from signing the 21-year-old, and will see this as a part of his game that they can utilise. 

We are at the halfway point of the season and Liverpool are closer to the relegation zone than they are to the top of the table. If they want to save their campaign, then they have to solve their problems sooner rather than later, and in Caicedo; they may have the perfect solution to fix their questionable midfield.