Chelsea should consider dropping Enzo Fernandez from their starting lineup

Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez joined Chelsea from Portuguese side Benfica on January 31 in a club-record €121.00 million transfer. The Portuguese club paid a significant €44.25 million to Benfica for Fernandez’s services just six months before. 

Now, that was no ordinary transfer, as Fernandez became the biggest sale in River Plate’s history. For more context, River Plate already had a history of selling talented players to European clubs. Stars like Javier Saviola, Pablo Aimar, Julián Alvarez, Erik Lamela, Gonzalo Higuaín, Javier Mascherano, and many others joined mainstream Europe from the Argentine giants.

It is also important to note that the €44.25 million that Benfica even paid was a club record, as his price beat Darwin Nunez’s €34 million, which was the previous record.

So it is evident that Fernandez was a star that was set to blossom. His performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup further increased his stock, prompting Chelsea to splash the cash for his services. However, the Blues’ decision to pay over €100 million for the Argentine just six months after Benfica signed him for less than 50 still seemed off.

When Enzo arrived at Chelsea, he was expected to lift the club, as they were struggling badly under the tutelage of Graham Potter. They were languishing in the lower half of the Premier League table and it did not seem like there was any sign of hope because the attackers were not delivering the goods, while the defense was leaking goals like a basket.

When the 23-year-old midfielder joined Chelsea, he did lift the club a little. He was a spark in the midfield, offering something different from what Denis Zakaria and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were bringing to the table at the time.

However, for a player aged just 21, lifting a big club like Chelsea alone was an uphill task, and his efforts eventually got swallowed in all of the chaos. The Blues eventually finished 12th in the 2022/2023 campaign.

Last season, Chelsea called in more midfield reinforcements, with the likes of Romeo Lavia joining from Southampton, while Moises Caicedo joined from Brighton after an impressive campaign. They also appointed former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino as new coach.

Unfortunately for Fernandez and his Chelsea side, they struggled in the first half of the season. The Blues won just six of their 16 games in the first half of the season. 

Enzo was a consistent fixture in the Blues’ midfield, partnering with Caicedo. However, that partnership did not yield many fruits, as they often lacked solidity and didn’t create much. What raised eyebrows was when Chelsea won five of their last six games of last season.

Without Enzo, Pochettino tweaked his team in a way that Marc Cucurella joined the midfield to support Caicedo whenever they were attacking. Palmer then got more opportunity to play a free role, while Conor Gallagher got to push up the pitch a bit more – even though he was criticized for not doing this well enough.

Now, while this formation worked, it could leave them open to attacks, especially against teams that have solid attacks. Also, Fernandez’s threat cannot be overlooked because of his unique skill set. There is currently no player that can churn out the volume of long-range passes that he does. 

Besides, he is the only midfielder who can offer a big threat from the midfield. The other two midfielders Lavia and Caicedo play their first football in front of the defense. They are great at playing from the back and making short passes in midfield to drag the opponent’s defenses out.

In Chelsea’s Premier League opener against Manchester City at the Bridge last weekend. Fernandez occupied the number ten role, while Lavia and Caicedo operated just behind him. However, the Argentina midfielder did not look like he belonged in that role. He did not create any clear-cut chances, and he did not look sharp enough when he got an opportunity in front of goal. The Blues still look like they are struggling and many are now eager to see how they will fare in the current campaign. With that in mind, Chelsea tickets are expected to see a surge in demand.

Where is Enzo Fernandez’s best position

Fernandez has been used in multiple positions in Chelsea’s midfield since he arrived. However, it is still difficult to understand which suits him best

The best way to understand this is by looking at where he plays his best football, which is with Argentina. With the Selecao, Fernandez plays as a center midfielder, and more often than not, he delivers.

If Maresca could draw up a new formation where Fernandez plays in central midfield, it could pay off eventually. However, no Chelsea midfielder is good enough to help play the attacking midfield role, so that may not work. 

And if Fernandez is left in midfield with Caicedo, while Cole Palmer operates from attacking midfield (behind the striker), it would leave them susceptible to attack because Fernandez is not exactly known for his attacking prowess. Still, benching the former Benfica man is not an option because he is the only Chelsea that can produce some form of creativity from deep.

Coach Maresca has to find a way to make his midfield tick with Fernandez as soon as possible because that could cost him his job if he does not find a solution soon. Benching the Argentine may also not be an option because of the price they paid to get him from Benfica.

Fernandez also has to get into the groove as soon as possible. Chelsea fans have been quite lenient on him since he arrived. However, if he does not start delivering the goods soon, they will start calling for his head this season, and that could eventually lead to his exit.

At the moment, a host of fans are now calling for Enzo Fernandez to be dropped from the Chelsea starting lineup, which would then see Cole Palmer move more centrally and for players like Pedro Neto to excel on the flanks. It would be a difficult decision to make for Maresca, given that Fernandez is now the Blues’ vice-captain for the current campaign.