Even though Enzo Fernandez has been a mainstay in Chelsea’s side this season, his form has shown signs of dropping off. Jason Cundy doesn’t expect him to lose his starting position in the near future, though.
Enzo Fernandez, 24, is definitely one of the leaders in the Chelsea dressing room, wearing the captain’s armband when Reece James isn’t on the pitch.
The box-to-box central midfielder does a bit of everything, including scoring two goals in seven appearances across all competitions so far this season. However, there are plenty of pundits and supporters questioning his recent form.
Troy Deeney’s verdict on Fernandez is that his individual performances will improve if he’s given the licence to roam freely and join in more with the attacking side of the game.
- READ MORE: Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez admits what he found ‘difficult’ to start with under Enzo Maresca
Jason Cundy suggests Chelsea can’t drop Enzo Fernandez
According to Jason Cundy, Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has a slight “problem” when it comes to Fernandez because his status makes him undroppable.
He’s predicted that the Argentine star will play Saturday’s Premier League match at home to Brighton in a more advanced midfield position.
Cundy said on talkSPORT: “The fact that Cole Palmer’s now missing, I think we might see Enzo [Fernandez] into that number 10 position… Even though some fans might feel that Enzo needs to come out of the team, the problem you’ve got is he’s vice-captain, the price tag, and he’s one of the most experienced players you’ve highlighted. It naturally feels against Brighton that you’ll see him as a 10.”
While reports suggest that Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer could miss 3-6 weeks with a groin injury, everybody is waiting for an official update from the club. Even so, it is alarming that he came off early against Manchester United last weekend before not featuring against Lincoln City in midweek.
We agree that Fernandez feels like the most likely replacement as the number 10 against Brighton this weekend.
It is true that the South American midfielder isn’t yet replicating the dizzy heights he set last term. In fact, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s theory on Fernandez is that he may not be fully fit yet. But fans should have confidence that the technical footballer can eventually play himself back into form.
Enzo Maresca shouldn’t be afraid to drop Enzo Fernandez
The early signs this season are that Fernandez is one of the first name on the team sheet, but the team should regularly be picked on form and fitness.
In fairness, Fernandez took his time to break into Maresca’s strongest XI during the 2024/25 campaign, and he’s not really looked back since. It is worth stressing that he’s played an incredible amount of football, both for club and country, in the past couple of years.
The luxury this season is that Andrey Santos has joined up with the Blues squad to provide a perfect alternative to Fernandez as a number eight midfielder.
As for the number 10 role, Facundo Buonanotte, Joao Pedro and Estevao Willian can all fill in there whenever Palmer is out of the picture.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
