“You need to change your whole system to accommodate him” - William Gallas snubs Chelsea superstar as he picks Blues’ best XI

William Gallas has claimed that Enzo Fernandez does not make it to Chelsea's best XI right now. He believes that the midfield should remain Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo, and Romeo Lavia, and the Argentine should remain in a bench role.

Gallas told Genting Casino that Enzo Maresca's XI for the clash against Arsenal on November 10 at Stamford Bridge was almost spot on. He claims that the only change has to be Reece James coming in for Malo Gusto and said:

"The best Chelsea XI is; Robert Sanchez; Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella; Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia; Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, Pedro Neto and Nicolas Jackson. Enzo Fernandez is on the bench. The problem with him is that you need to change your whole system to accommodate him.

"You can't put Fernandez next to Caicedo because he won't defend. Fernandez's game is 65% attack and 35% defense, Neto, Palmer, Madueke and Jackson won't defend so Caicedo would have to defend by himself. That's why Lavia plays ahead of him."

The Blues have started the season better than their previous campaigns and are sitting third in the Premier League table. They have 19 points from 11 matches and are currently nine points behind leaders Liverpool and four behind second placed Manchester City.

---

Enzo Maresca not interested in Enzo Fernandez' price tag at Chelsea

Enzo Maresca has said that he does not care about a player's price tag when selecting the starting XI. He revealed that the midfield is going to remain Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia as they give him the physicality needed in the middle of the pitch.

He told the media via GOAL:

"If you remember, questions were asked about Moi (Moises Caicedo) and the price the club paid for him. That is not an Enzo problem or a Moi problem. Just because the club spent £100m, people expect them to be the best player. It is not about how much you paid.

"At the end of the day, they are human beings and if you pay £100m, that is not my problem. If you want to buy me then you pay money. That does not mean that every game you have to be the best. At the end of the day, they are football players and they cannot always be at the top level."

Enzo Fernandez was handed the captain's armband earlier this season when Reece James was out injured. The Argentine is now starting regularly in the cup competitions but is coming off the bench in Chelsea's league matches.

Chelsea spent a massive €115 million to sign him from Benfica in January 2023.