Ready for another round of “your midfielder isn’t as good as you think”? Good, because this week, Numbers Don’t Lie dives straight into the Premier League’s favorite debate: Declan Rice versus Moisés Caicedo. Yes, we know… you’ve all made up your minds already. But unfortunately for tribalism, we brought numbers.

Arsenal fans, relax. We’re not here to ruin your day. We’ll just try to remind you that Declan isn’t exactly the second coming of Vieira when he’s chasing the ball backwards.

But when the conversation turns to progression and set-piece threat? Rice is cooking. In fact, he leads every defensive midfielder across the top five leagues in expected assists from set plays. DM, leader in xA (set plays)… who knew being tall and technical was legal?

Chelsea fans, don’t smile yet. Because while Caicedo may not ping Hollywood balls or whip in deadly corners, he is elite at the very things that make defensive midfielders defensive midfielders. Tackles? Recoveries? Disrupting literally everything? He’s right up there with the best of them. Sure, the price tag still haunts your dreams, but the underlying numbers tell it might really be more than justified.

So who’s better? Depends on what you want:
A destroyer who wins the ball like he’s collecting Infinity Stones… or a controller who quietly engineers chances without needing a 40-yard run-up?
Either way, both sides get to be right, and wrong, at the same time. That’s the beauty of football.

>> Read more: Numbers Don’t Lie: Is Arsenal Ready For Revenge On Their Bullies?

Catch the full breakdown on CBS Sports Golazo Network as we look at the most heated debates with a cool, calm, data-driven approach.