Enzo Fernandez scores for Chelsea. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Chelsea won 2-1 at Leicester City on Saturday afternoon and one man who played a big part in the result was Enzo Fernandez.
The Argentina star has been out of favor with Enzo Maresca in recent weeks with the new Chelsea manager preferring a midfield of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia. However, Fernandez was given the chance to start against Leicester City on Saturday and the World Cup winner was the star at the King Power Stadium.
With 15 minutes on the clock, the midfielder would provide an assist for the first goal of the game as Nicolas Jackson got a superb finish past Mads Hermansen in the Leicester net. An hour later, the 23-year-old would get on the scoresheet himself, which was the former Benfica star’s first of the season.
Nicolas Jackson opens the scoring for Chelsea!
Is it one the Leicester defense won’t want to look back on in a hurry?
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— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 23, 2024
Chelsea 2-0!
Enzo Fernandez gets the goal, but is Nicolas Jackson involved again?
? @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/kmasq0PjY2
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 23, 2024
The result moves Chelsea up to third in the Premier League table and Fernandez’s performance has not only proved many critics wrong, but will also give Maresca a headache as the Argentine star will chase his boss every week to start the matches from the off.
Has Enzo Fernandez earned a starting place at Chelsea?
Since arriving at Chelsea at the start of 2023, Fernández has not been up to the mark Price £106.8m the Blues paid Benfica for the World Cup winner and that has allowed Caicedo and Lavia to earn starting roles in west London.
The The Argentine footballer had also had personal problems throughout the start of the current campaign, which may have affected their concentration levels, while other clubs have shown interest in buying the blues’ talent.
The midfield duo have worked with Maresca this season and it would be foolish for the Italian manager to change that after an influence from the Argentine star.
It is not easy to maintain a £180,000 a week player on the bench in the Premier League and Fernandez could make a very strong case if he continues to perform as he did against Leicester on Saturday.
The 23-year-old is a top-class player and consistency will mean that Maresca will not be able to leave him out of their squad. For now, the new Chelsea manager needs to stick with Caicedo and Lavia as the duo have proved a great partnership during the early stages of the 2024/25 campaign.
