“They can win their duels” – The case against Enzo Fernandez make plain on TalkSport | OneFootball

TalkSport’s “Inside Chelsea” show made a good debut this week, with plenty to talk about with guests Jason Cundy and Jody Morris.

Enzo Fernandez is becoming a hot topic among fans, and he was certainly a central theme on the show yesterday. He’s struggling to find his place in Enzo Maresca’s team right now, and has effectively been dropped to the B team used in the cups, coming on as an impact sub for the first team.

“He’s got a really difficult task on his hands trying to break into that midfield”, host Olivia Buzaglo pointed out when they got onto this topic.

You can see them speaking in the clip embedded here, with these quotes coming after 19 minutes:

Matisse Hofer had the most interesting summary of Enzo Maresca’s dilemma when it comes to picking his namesake:

“When [Fernandez] was playing in that midfield role previously he was being used as a box to box midfielder, he was getting into the same line as Cole Palmer, into the final third, and I think they wanted him more on the edge of the area to play those final passes we know he can play. But at the same time the manager keeps calling for defensive stability, balance, and obviously Lavia and Caicedo are bringing that because they’re more athletic and they can win their duels.”

It’s going to be a debate which rages all season, and maybe beyond – do you prefer the strong and steady Lavia-Caicedo duo (as Jody Morris does), or the more creative Enzo-Caicedo? Maresca has made his choice for now, but if we continue to struggle for creativity, don’t be surprised to see his decision reversed.

As for using all three at the same time – that’s another whole debate, which would centre around which of Noni Madueke, Pedro Neto or Cole Palmer gets dropped…