○Enzo Fernandes stole the show with a hat-trick of assists in the first half of Chelsea's 8-0 win over Armenian side FC Noah in the Conference League on Thursday night. Although the midfielder gave away corner kicks for the goals of Tosin Adarabioyo and Axel DiSasi, produced the pass for Joao Félix's first goal, and generally looked completely out of place in the European third-tier competition. , which is probably not that surprising considering Fernandes is a world class player. He was a cup winner and briefly England's most expensive player.
However, it remains to be seen whether coach Enzo Maresca had in mind managing the Argentina international's workload when he decided not to send him off in the second half of the game against Noah. The most likely scenario is that Fernandes, a £106.8m footballer on Thursday night, will be on the bench for Chelsea's match against Arsenal on Sunday. After all, he has not started in the last three league games and it is no coincidence that Maresca's team is more balanced with Romeo Ravia and Moises Caicedo partnering in central midfield. .
Since joining from Benfica in January 2023, Fernandes' main challenge has been physical. His passing ability is clear, but is he strong enough to play in the Premier League? Maresca's predecessor, Mauricio Pochettino, had his doubts. Chelsea struggled to make the Caicedo-Fernandes partnership work last season.
It was futile to limit Caicedo to the role of Fernández's bodyguard. Despite the hype, the latter's creative output was never high enough to justify building a midfield around him. Fernandes' return of seven goals since joining Chelsea has been poor, he has no assists in the league this season and the broader indicators are not positive: the 23-year-old fails to create any big chances, his tackle success rate is 39% and he 's passing ability has declined.
However, Caicedo has excelled in almost every department and is one of England's best midfielders. No midfielder has made or contested more tackles this season than the Ecuadorian international. He ranks third in interceptions, second in duels won and sixth in possession gained in the middle third of the pitch.
But the former Brighton midfielder is more than just a destroyer. Caicedo is good at breaking down, but he also deserves respect for his skill with the ball. Only four midfielders have completed more passes this season, and Manchester United realized the 23-year-old's quality last Sunday at Old Trafford when he scored a stunning equalizer from the edge of the area. .
It was a goal that showed why Chelsea paid so much for Caicedo in August 2023, even though they knew they were overpaying by at least £10m. A record £115m transfer fee, offset by the club giving players long-term, incentivized contracts, is no longer drawing derision from outsiders. Caicedo has stepped into the opposition's midfield, opened up defenses with sharp through passes, and showed off his passing range by assisting Nicholas Jackson against Liverpool and West Ham.
The challenge now is to overwhelm and surpass Arsenal, who failed to sign Caicedo for £70m in January 2023. It helps that Rabia, who missed most of last season due to injury, is establishing himself as a key player for Maresca. The former Southampton midfielder, who joined Chelsea at the same time as Caicedo, brings stability. Very smooth on the ball, Lavia held his position, resisted the press and distributed the ball well to free up Caicedo. “It's a matter of balance,” Maresca says. “Romeo and Moi give us physicality and strength in midfield.”
That will be crucial against Arsenal, one of the most impressive teams. Mikel Arteta missed out on Caicedo but has Declan Rice and Mikel Merino. Rice was once a target for Chelsea. Chelsea wanted him back after letting him go as a 14-year-old, but the England midfielder has been in excellent form since joining Arsenal for £105m last year.
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He scored a stunner at Stamford Bridge last season and hurt Chelsea by beating Caicedo and Fernandes in Arsenal's 5-0 win at the Emirates Stadium in April. However, this time the battle should be even more intense. Rice missed Arsenal's defeat to Inter on Wednesday with a toe injury and it will not be easy for the 25-year-old to play through the pain barrier.
Chelsea have come a long way in a short period of time. At the start of the season, Caicedo, Fernandes and Rabia started in midfield, with Cole Palmer relegated to the right wing, but Maresca changed his approach and found success. Fernandes, simply put, has never done anything to justify playing as the most advanced midfielder. Maresca quickly moved Palmer back into the No. 10 spot, and it didn't take long for Rabia, who had missed several games due to injury, to take one of the deeper spots from Fernandez.
This is a difficult question considering Chelsea paid a huge amount for Fernandes. In time they may be forced to cut their losses against him. They are already thinking about where the 20-year-old Brazilian will fit in with Andrei Santos returning from an increasingly impressive loan spell at Strasbourg.
Fernandez has to be careful or he'll get strangled. The idea is that Maresca could make more use of Conor Gallagher, who was sold to Atletico Madrid last summer. Again, Maresca likes control and Caicedo and Lavia have it. Both players had slow starts to their careers at Chelsea, but their futures could be even brighter if they surpass Arsenal.
