Before the recently concluded international break, things were far from going smoothly at Chelsea. The London side had lost their last four matches and are in danger of missing out on Champions League qualification. Furthermore, a number of players are unhappy with Enzo Fernández, reports The Telegraph.
Chelsea suffered two heavy defeats in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain (5-2, 0-3) in recent weeks. In addition, manager Liam Rosenior’s side suffered consecutive defeats in the Premier League, against Newcastle United (0-1) and Everton (3-0).
Fernández is normally Chelsea’s vice-captain, but was allowed to wear the armband for the last two matches in the absence of the injured first-choice captain, Reece James. However, Fernández has failed to impress in that role.
Following the 8-2 defeat (over two legs) against PSG, Fernández surprised everyone with some comments about his future. “I don’t know,” he replied when asked by**ESPN Argentina.**“There are eight matches left and the FA Cup. There’s also the World Cup; we’ll see after that.”
The Telegraphunderstands that Fernández has repeatedly berated his teammates during that poor run of form. As a result, a number of them are thoroughly fed up with Fernández, as there should be unity heading into the end of the season.
In the dressing room too, around the matches against PSG, Newcastle and Everton, Fernández has let his temper get the better of him, much to the frustration of a number of teammates. Goalkeeper Filip Jørgensen was one such victim, after he made a mistake in the first leg against PSG.
But Fernández’s frustration was already evident on the pitch too. The Argentine hurled abuse at the Dane and threw the ball towards the goalkeeper. “He’s really losing his temper,” notedTNT Sports reporter Glenn Hoddle at the time.
Former players at the club have criticised Fernández. John Obi Mikel, for instance, said on his**The Obi One Podcast:**“This is Chelsea, not a stepping stone to another club. If your heart is already in Madrid, you shouldn’t be wearing the blue shirt. At Chelsea, we played for the club crest, not for a future transfer.”
Fernández, who played for Argentina against Zambia and Mauritania during the international break, will play in the FA Cup quarter-final with Chelsea on Saturday. Their opponents at Stamford Bridge will be League One side Port Vale. In the Premier League**, the Blues** are currently in sixth place.