Arsenal seemed to rattle Chelsea in their 1-0 derby win over their London rivals. The match was full of tough tackles, numerous yellow cards, time-wasting antics, a booking for Pedro Neto due to dissent, and even Jurrien Timber telling Enzo Maresca to “try harder.”
But it was Moises Caicedo who made the most surprising claim in his post-match interview. Reflecting on the game, he argued that Arsenal had been together for much longer than they actually have — suggesting a timeframe that doesn’t hold up to scrutiny.
“We were better than them,” Caicedo said. “They (Arsenal) have been working together for like seven years, and we’ve only had two years. We showed we were better than them, and that’s good.”
Seven years? Really, Moises?
Let’s take a trip down memory lane to check that claim. Seven years ago, in March 2018, Mikel Arteta wasn’t even Arsenal’s manager — he was still working as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City, not yet dreaming of taking the helm at Arsenal. Arsène Wenger was still in charge of the Gunners, and Unai Emery hadn’t even entered the picture yet. That same week, Arsenal faced AC Milan in the Europa League and secured a 3-1 victory (5-1 on aggregate).
Now, how many players from that 2018 matchday squad are still part of Arsenal’s current lineup? Take a guess.
If you guessed zero, you’d be right. Not a single current Arsenal player featured in that game.
The lineup back then included names like David Ospina, Hector Bellerin, Shkodran Mustafi, Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal, Granit Xhaka, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Mesut Ozil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Danny Welbeck. On the bench were Petr Cech, Calum Chambers, Sead Kolasinac, Mohamed Elneny, Alex Iwobi, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, and a very young Eddie Nketiah. Hardly a team that connects to today’s Arsenal.
In fact, five players from Arsenal’s starting XI against Chelsea have only been part of the senior squad for less than two years.
Sure, losing a derby can sting — and sometimes make players say wild things. But Caicedo may have outdone himself with this one.