Enzo Maresca gives update on Enzo Fernandez’s fitness after early substitution in Chelsea’s 8-0 win vs Noah

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Chelsea flexed their attacking muscles on Thursday night with a stunning victory at home to Armenian club Noah in the Conference League.

Chelsea made it three wins out of three in the Conference League group stages this season by thrashing Noah 8-0 at Stamford Bridge.

Joao Felix (two), Christopher Nkunku (two), Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Axel Disasi and Mykhailo Mudryk were the Blues goalscorers on a memorable European night.

Next, Enzo Maresca’s side host rivals Arsenal this Sunday in the Premier League. Chelsea attacker Mudryk has earned a start versus Arsenal after his eye-catching Conference League display tonight.

• READ MORE: Jason Cundy super impressed by ‘excellent’ Chelsea player in 8-0 win against Noah

Enzo Maresca update on Enzo Fernandez

During a match where Maresca made 11 changes, Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez returned to the starting line-up at home to Noah.

The 23-year-old central midfielder was substituted off after the opening 45 minutes when the scoreline was 6-0. Thankfully, his withdrawal was for tactical reasons and not any kind of injury issue.

When asked about Fernandez’s substitution at half-time, Maresca said via Football.London: “He is okay, just a tactical decision. No more than that.”

Fernandez may not be in the preferred starting XI right now for the Premier League, but it was a smart move to keep him fresh for the weekend showdown with Arsenal, where he may be needed as a substitute.

Frank Lampard claimed Fernandez has a tough job ahead breaking back into Chelsea’s line-up, but he sent out a positive message with his first-half performance against Noah.

Enzo Fernandez dazzles for 45 minutes in Chelsea win

Fernandez definitely left his mark on Chelsea’s memorable 8-0 victory with an eye-catching display. The highlight was certainly the Argentine star providing a hat-trick of assists inside nine minutes of each other during the first-half.

Fotmob data has provided the individual statistics from Fernandez’s performance versus Noah:

• Match rating – 9.4
• Minutes played – 45
• Goals – 0
• Assists – 3
• Total shots – 1
• Successful dribbles – 1/1 (100%)
• Touches – 39
• Accurate passes – 27/30 (90%)
• Interceptions – 1
• Tackles won – 2/3 (67%)
• Dribbles past – 2

Graeme Souness has suggested Fernandez has been a wasteful signing from Chelsea, but his midweek display was a timely reminder of what he can contribute.

Of course, the Blues are only going to face much tougher challenges as the season goes on. However, Fernandez does offer superb quality with his passing if he can get on the ball in the right areas.