There are several individuals in the Chelsea squad who have taken giant strides forward under Enzo Maresca. For instance, Enzo Fernandez has grown both as a player and a leader at Stamford Bridge in the past 15 months.
Even though Chelsea’s form has dipped in September, Enzo Maresca, 45, has done an excellent job to date as the Blues head coach since joining from Leicester City in the summer of 2024.
Maresca improved several Chelsea players last term during his first year at the club. Can he now back it up during his second season in charge of a talented young squad?
Enzo Maresca explains how Enzo Fernandez has improved his positioning
According to Chelsea boss Maresca, Enzo Fernandez was someone who found it difficult to understand his position when he first started coaching him last season.
However, he now thinks that the 24-year-old Blues star has grown to master the role as a box-to-box central midfielder.
During a discussion about box-to-box midfielders, Maresca told Sky Sports Premier League: “A good example is Enzo Fernandez. He struggled at the beginning to understand where he has to arrive, where he has to finish the right position.
“And then now he’s always there. He’s always dangerous. So for me, box-to-box midfielder, you have to know where you have to arrive inside the box because you can arrive inside the box.
“But if you go random, you go in this position, that position, that position, you struggle to score goals. While if you go always in the right position, but you have to know which one is the right position. When you go in the right position, it’s much more easy for Enzo to score and for the ones that are crossing to know where they have to cross.”
In fairness, Fernandez finished last season with nine goals across all competitions for Chelsea. He’s started this campaign with two Premier League goals, too.
While Moises Caicedo provides the defensive anchor in midfield, Fernandez has licence in a box-to-box role to join in with the team’s attacks, something which has resulted in more goals and assists.
In the next couple of weeks, we could even see the Argentina international higher up the pitch due to Cole Palmer’s injury. Maresca claims that Fernandez may cover as a number 10, where he’s got the intelligence and ability to make a difference.
Troy Deeney thinks Fernandez needs freedom on the football pitch to play his best stuff, something he may get when Palmer is out of action.
Andrey Santos could be on Enzo Fernandez’s heels
The good news for Chelsea’s squad is that they have depth in most positions, including in central midfield.
With Fernandez currently going through a mini dip in form, Andrey Santos should become a genuine contender for minutes. On paper, they are similar profiles who can do a bit of everything in the centre of the park.
The injury to Palmer could result in a midfield trio of Caicedo, Santos and Fernandez in Saturday’s Premier League fixture at home to Brighton.
It is obvious that Fernandez is a key figure under Maresca, starting every single game so far this season, but he shouldn’t be immune from dropping out of the side if he’s not performing.
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