Merson: Rice is the most comprehensive No. 8 midfielder in the Premier League. Enzo cannot reach his level.

October 25th, in the third round of the UEFA Champions League, Chelsea defeated Ajax 5-1 at home. Among them, Blues midfielder Enzo's performance is remarkable. He has become an indispensable core midfielder in Maresca's system, and his performance is increasingly worthy of the £107 million transfer fee Chelsea paid for him two years ago. A few days ago, Arsenal legend Merson said in an interview with "Sportskeeda" that Enzo's comprehensive ability is not as good as Rice's. At the same time, he expressed high praise for Caicedo.

Merson said: "Of all the midfielders who play the 8th position in the Premier League, Rice has the greatest impact on the game. As an all-round midfielder with both offense and defense, no one is more comprehensive than him at the moment. Enzo is good at advancing with the ball, but he is defensive The defensive end simply cannot achieve the level of Rice."

Currently, Rice and Fernandez have the same goals and assists data this season (each has directly participated in 5 goals), but Arsenal's defensive performance is even better, conceding only 3 goals in the first 8 rounds.

However, Merson also praised another Chelsea midfielder: "I noticed that in Chelsea's victory over Ajax, once Caicedo was replaced, their center was immediately penetrated. This is enough to show the importance of Caicedo. No matter what happens, he must be a starting player every week."

"I will not put Rice in the defensive midfielder position because Arsenal has that position. It was played by Suvimendi. So I can say with absolute certainty that Caicedo is currently the best player in the world. I can’t remember the last time he played poorly. The biggest compliment to him is that no one mentions his transfer fee.” If they can defeat Sunderland, they will have the opportunity to move up to second in the table, while Arsenal hopes to continue to expand their advantage at the top of the table when they face Crystal Palace at home.