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In Chelsea's modern era, the club has usually relied on a strong midfield. Claude Makelele, Michael Essien, Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard once formed a formidable midfield that battered opponents.
Nemanja Matic and N’Golo Kante continued that tradition, but the Blues looked spineless and light-weight in the middle of the park last season. A rare highlight of that utterly disappointing campaign was the signing of Enzo Fernandez. Chelsea fought tooth and nail to get their man from Benfica for a then British record £106.8 million.
The Argentina international may have struggled to make an impact in the second half of last season, but he started the current campaign very well, showcasing his class against Liverpool in the opening week of the Premier League.
Enzo Fernandez runs the show against Liverpool
Fernandez arrived at Chelsea amid huge fanfare, but he came into a team that was largely disorganised and without a conducive environment for him, or any other player, to thrive.
However, having had a proper pre-season under Mauricio Pochettino, he looked at home, as he thoroughly ran the show in Sunday (August 13)’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League opener.
The Argentinian had a good game, sending over ten passes into the final third and as many into the opposition box.
The 22-year-old was involved in every promising move by Chelsea: tackling, breaking the lines and spreading brilliance passes to release Reece James and his other teammates.
Fernandez attempted 93 passes, had 17 final third entries,117 touches, 90% pass accuracy, 83 passes completed and two key passes against Liverpool. Eventually, he was voted man of the match and also received a standing ovation from the Blues faithful at full time.
It was the kind of dominant performance Chelsea have missed in recent years, but, in Fernandez, they have a world-class performer; a player who offers everything a manager wants in a midfielder.
Enzo Fernandez holds key to Chelsea’s midfield dominance
Fernandez and Conor Gallagher complemented each other very well against Liverpool, but it was the former who coordinated the team’s entire play.
With the imminent arrival of Moises Caicedo, Chelsea fans can expect to see more from their No. 8, who will now be able to focus on making things happen upfront while leaving Caicedo to shield the defence.
“Always it is a pleasure with Enzo (Fernandez). He is very humble. He is a fighter also and he’s a fantastic player, world champion with Argentina, and I am so proud of him,” Pochetino told Chelseafc.com in July.
“I am Argentine also, and I shared happiness when they won the World Cup. It is a pleasure when you have a player like him in the squad.”
Indeed, Chelsea are very lucky to have a talented player like Fernandez, who can literally do anything, in their squad. He showed against Liverpool that he's not only world-class but also holds the keys to Chelsea's revival.
