Enzo Maresca certainly had to prove his credentials to the Chelsea ownership team before being given the role of manager ahead of this season.
It was a big risk taken by Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali to replace Mauricio Pochettino with a boss who was yet to manage in the Premier League before this campaign.
Fast forward to now though, and there is pretty universal praise coming Maresca’s way after he has led the Blues to the top four going into the second international break of the season.
He has kept his starting side pretty consistent in the Premier League, with a lot of players featuring in every game that they have been fit for.
One of those is Enzo Fernandez, who has also donned the captain’s armband in the absence of Reece James all season.
Maresca struggling to get best out of Enzo Fernandez
One thing that was reported strongly during the time Maresca was hired was that he had a plan to get the best out of the World Cup winner, something that had not occurred under the previous boss.
Many will argue that this has still not occupied. There is certainly a case for Fernandez to drop out of the side now Romeo Lavia has returned to fitness.
It is thought the best of Fernandez is when he is on the ball, getting things ticking from the middle of the park and launching attacks.
However, according to FBRef, the Argentine is averaging around 66 touches per 90 minutes, 20 less than last season.
His average progressive passes, passes into the final third and passes into the penalty area are all down too.
Moises Caicedo really impressing
With midfield partner Moises Caicedo going from strength to strength alongside him, there are more eyes on Fernandez to follow suit and become one of the most important players at the club.
There is no doubting Fernandez’s quality at his best. He has previously been described by opponents as ‘world-class’.
At the moment though, it looks as if the system Maresca plays where a full-back inverts is forcing the player to feature slightly out of position, and therefore posing the question for if there is a better player that can replace him.
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