Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez let Argentina down on Sunday in their 1-0 World Cup final defeat to Spain.
Fernandez was sent off just before extra time after picking up a very avoidable second yellow card.
The 25-year-old flew into an unnecessary challenge and had no chance of actually winning the ball.
His first caution was also avoidable, with the Argentine picking it up for dissent, which would not have surprised Chelsea fans too much.
What’s your message to Enzo Fernandez after his costly red card in the World Cup final?
He picked up 14 yellow cards for Chelsea last season 🟨
Last season, Fernandez picked up multiple yellow cards for the same reason. Discipline was an issue for him and Chelsea, and it has been the same theme for him on the international stage.
One Argentine newspaper, though, is not putting the sole blame on the former Benfica man. Ole has been quick to highlight all the injuries that Lionel Scaloni’s side picked up during the game and the timing of their substitutions.
However, Fernandez still has to take a hard look at himself. Who knows what the final score would have been had he remained on the pitch.
After going 1-0 down in extra time, even with 10 men, Argentina started to get more of a grip on the game and became more offensive. With Fernandez’s quality, maybe they would have been able to equalise or not have conceded in the first place.
Whether the Argentina international is at Chelsea, Real Madrid or another club next season, it is clear that he has to work on his discipline.
Last term, Fernandez picked up 14 yellow cards in 54 appearances. In the Premier League, he received 10 in 36 outings.
Despite that, Fernandez is a player Chelsea will still want to keep. He is one of the best midfielders in European football and is capable of scoring goals.
And with Real Madrid claiming they are not interested in Fernandez, maybe the Blues will be able to keep hold of their £100m footballer.
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