Enzo Fernandez compared with two of the Premier League's best midfielders by his manager

09/13/2024 11:00 AM

We were worried about today's Enzo Maresca press conference. Given the last two weeks have been dominated by the ownership civil war, we expected a series of questions about that – and a series of non-answers.

But to our pleasant surprise, the presser kicked off with an actual football question – and an interesting one at that. Maresca was asked about Enzo Fernandez's best position – something Chelsea have really struggled to work out. He's been tried as 6, 8 and 10, and with various partners in various systems, but nothing has really stuck.

While it was framed in a positive way, the implication was clear – Enzo is not playing well at all, and seems to do better for Argentina. Maresca's answer was a little rambling, but he made it clear that what he's looking for is a midfielder who can defend and attack. Do we really think Fernandez can be that player?

"It's very, very difficult in the way we play that can find a midfielder that can attack like an attacking midfielder and defend like a defensive midfielder," Maresca said.

"Arsenal use Declan Rice. City used Gundogan in the past. In our case, we are trying to find the balance and find the solution. At the moment, Enzo is the only one when we have the ball playing like an attacking midfielder and off the ball dropping off with Moi to find the defensive balance."

It's about finding the right balance

The hope is that when Romeo Lavia is back, he can form a solid three with Enzo and Moises Caicedo. The issue is that Enzo does well deeper, but he's the least physically capable in terms of defending. That creates a slightly awkward situation where Enzo wants to be deep and the others want to be ahead, but they're needed deeper to help him out.

There's definitely the potential for a nice balance, but it's going to take some work. Rice and Gundogan are two of the best midfielders in the league over the last few years – Enzo has a long way to go.