Key Chelsea player sadly set for terrible preparation for new season as he fights off his teammate | OneFootball

Chelsea’s new era was never more clear than in the fact that we have almost as many players at the Copa America as at the Euros.

Both of our £100m midfielders were at the South American tournament, and last night they faced off in the quarter final. Moises Caicedo’s Ecuador and Enzo Fernandez’s Argentina faced off, and battled to a draw. They could only be separated on penalties, with the World Cup winners eventually qualifying at the expensive of the Andean nation.

In the end, then, it’s Caicedo who gets to start his holiday early – although he won’t be happy about it. He battled hard in the middle of for a proud Ecuador team, who did really well, and after having been included in the team of the group stage, the former Brighton man can be proud of his performance at the tournament.

The important thing is that he made it through un-injured and hopefully with minimal wear and tear. Now he can head off for a vital couple of weeks rest, before joining up with preseason under Enzo Maresca – which will already be in full swing by then.

Moises Caicedo faces up against Enzo Fernandez

Enzo’s truncated summer is a big risk

For Enzo, it’s the opposite. He goes through, with his Argentina team the heavy favourites to win the whole thing. A weak Brazil team have cleared the way, and we really don’t expect to see Enzo returning until the tournament is finished.

The good news is that the hernia which kept him out of the end of the season and required surgery doesn’t seem to be bothering him. Let’s face it, this is hardly an ideal preparation for him ahead of a new season – an injury, a tournament with his country, a truncated holiday and shortened preseason.

To think he also wanted to play in the Olympics directly after this…