Enzo Fernandez is becoming the centre of a major debate at Chelsea.
The first 6 months after he arrived in January 2023 were a free pass. The team were a disaster and he was settling in to life in a new league and a new country. Then he started this season with some good games.
But the months since then have seen criticism growing. It’s not just Enzo’s performances that are troubling, it’s the total lack of chemistry that has developed between him and Moises Caicedo alongside him in midfield.
For the first time since his arrival, the last few weeks have seen major question marks emerge about Enzo, his potential, his ability, his future and his commitment.
The Argentine must have sensed it, because his comments on the Chelsea official website today read as a guarantee to the fans that he’s going to do better:
“I’m trying to get there, to the version of me that you saw at the World Cup. I want to feel like that Enzo, that was playing at the World Cup. I want to get back there,” he explained.
“I feel good, getting better each day, but I still don’t feel like I’m at 100 per cent. I’m still adapting and still don’t feel entirely myself, but I’m trying to get there as quickly as possible and working hard every day in order to do so.
‘” feel good, getting better each day, but I still don’t feel like I’m at 100 per cent. I’m still adapting and still don’t feel entirely myself, but I’m trying to get there as quickly as possible and working hard every day in order to do so.”
Plenty of faith left
It’s hard to doubt his ability because we’ve all seen him play well in moments, and we all saw him win the World Cup just a month before joining Chelsea. And there is a huge amount of weight to the argument that he’s just not been used properly. All too often we’re chasing a game and he’s forced into playing constant Hollywood passes just to try and spring the defence, when he’d rather save those for the right moment.
We still have faith that Enzo and the rest of this group can turn the corner, but it’s natural that doubts grow steadily while there’s a lack of progress.
