Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has claimed that it took Enzo Fernandez "a while" to learn his preferred playing style.
With Fernandez having cost £106.8m in January 2023, the midfielder was always going to be viewed as a part of Maresca's squad when he replaced Mauricio Pochettino in the summer of 2024.
On Saturday afternoon, the Argentina international scored his fourth Premier League goal of the season against Burnley to help solidify the opinion that he has become one of the Blues' most important players.
In total, the 24-year-old has contributed 21 goals and 24 assists from his 132 appearances in a Chelsea shirt, as well as helping the club win the Conference League and Club World Cup.
However, speaking at a press conference ahead of Tuesday's Champions League fixture versus Barcelona, Maresca insisted that Fernandez has not always played to the level expected of him.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, on November 1, 2025
Maresca speaks on Fernandez Chelsea development
While Fernandez is an undisputed first-choice pick in his team, the Italian said on Monday: "About Enzo Fernandez, since I arrived here I have always considered him a fundamental and important player.
"At the beginning it took him a while to understand what he had to do, but then he has become an important player for us on the field."
Across his last 47 appearances in the Premier League, Fernandez has contributed 10 goals and eight assists, but he has been deployed in two different roles.
Most regularly, Fernandez plays alongside Moises Caicedo in the engine room, but there have been occasions when he has been used as a number 10.
Either way, he has made arriving late in the box one of his trademarks, the most recent evidence of that being how he scored Chelsea's match-clinching goal at Burnley.
Enzo Fernandez celebrates after scoring for Chelsea on October 22, 2025
Where will Fernandez play against Barcelona?
Caicedo is a certainty to return to the Chelsea midfield against Barcelona, providing Maresca with somewhat of a selection dilemma.
The level of Andrey Santos' performance against Burnley means that he could be used alongside Caicedo, allowing Fernandez to play further forward.
If Santos does not start, Fernandez will start as a number eight and Joao Pedro likely be used as the number 10 behind Liam Delap or Marc Guiu.
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