4/10 Chelsea regular criticised for “sluggish” showing as Blues fail to create chances at home | OneFootball

Chelsea have just played out their first game of the Premier League season – a disappointing 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace.

The Blues weren’t terrible – and could have won the game late on – but in possession they were slow and laboured, and barely tested Palace keeper Dean Henderson.

Papers critical of “sluggish” midfielder who looks slow after long summer

Enzo Fernandez on the ball. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

One player was emblematic of that slow play in midfield – Enzo Fernandez didn’t bring the energy we needed in midfield.

The ratings online from CaughtOffside and the Chelsea Chronicle show the general feelings online:

“Enzo Fernandez – 4/10 Was the Chelsea player who looked as if the short pre-season had impacted the most. Enzo Fernandez struggled to get into the game, and looked sluggish when he was in possession.”

“Enzo Fernandez – (5/10) – Looked a little off the pace and sluggish, failing to really deliver when Chelsea needed him in a tight game, but it’s perhaps just rustiness from the Club World Cup schedule.”

What’s worrying is that if these guys are tired now (and we’d totally understand if they are, they’ve basically played non stop for a year), just imagine how they’ll be looking by Christmas?

One pundit praises “industrious” midfielder

However it wasn’t all negative – Dom Smith of the Evening Standard was far more generous in his assessment of how the Argentine had played:

“Enzo Fernandez 7 Put in a really industrious performance, getting across the pitch tirelessly on a warm Sunday afternoon in which Chelsea had things far from all their own way.”

It’s just an example of how different people can see the same game in different ways. We have to say we were more aligned the the lower ratings than the higher, but each to their own…

Let’s hope there’s a better showing next Friday when we face West Ham.