The Enzo Fernandez saga will continue to drag on this week as the Chelsea midfielder remains banned by his own club, and Alan Shearer thinks Liam Rosenior has created a future problem.
Fernandez was given a two-game ban during the break after hinting at a possible move to Real Madrid, and leaving Chelsea in the coming months. It is not the first time he has opened the door to an exit.
Some have suggested that Marc Cucurella did exactly the same thing, but many forget that Fernandez is supposed to be the club’s vice captain. It is not a good image for Chelsea; some felt it was embarrassing.
Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella’s first sighting after the Chelsea comments 👀
Anything to take away from this?
Chelsea v Port Vale - Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final
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Fernandez watched on as Chelsea annihilated Port Vale on Saturday evening and will remain watching from the stands against Man City. Some feel it is the right decision, but Alan Shearer thinks it is a mistake.
Alan Shearer envisages a future problem under Liam Rosenior
Gary Lineker and Micah Richards didn’t agree when discussing Rosenior’s banning of Fernandez. The latter felt punishment was necessary, but thinks a one-game ban would have sufficed for the midfielder.
However, Shearer looked beyond that. The Premier League’s record goalscorer thinks Rosenior has made a rod for his own back now, and believes anything of this sort now requires a two-game ban.
Argentina v Mauritania - International Friendly
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“That’s the difference [with Man City’s Rodri, who said similar during the break]; the attitude. Rosenior is trying to make a statement to the dressing room, a stance. There are ways of going about it,” he said.
“Fining players on £150k, 200k wages is not a deterrent anymore. The only problem is that when someone else does it, he will now have to discipline them,” Shearer told Monday’s The Rest Is Football.
Like many others, Shearer has forgotten one key element
On the face of it, without any context, it seems harsh. Banning Fernandez for saying he’d like to live in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe is obviously ridiculous. But there is much context to be attributed.
This is a player who dreams of a move to Madrid. Everyone knows this; Fernandez is widely known to want a move to Madrid. He will have known exactly what he was doing when saying what he did.
Then, there are his comments after the PSG defeat. Fernandez blew open the door when asked about his future, with no regard for Chelsea or his teammates following the 3-0 second-leg defeat in London.
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It's Reece James and Enzo Fernandez for now…
Cole Palmer quotes on being captain.
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Finally, and arguably the most important element that many are forgetting when discussing the situation, is that Fernandez is Chelsea’s vice captain. Supposedly a leader, a player that must lead by example.
Given Reece James’ injury issues, and that James is currently out injured, Fernandez wears the armband regularly. Comparing his comments to Cucurella’s is wrong. It was right to ban Fernandez for his actions.
And, it is wrong of Shearer to suggest that this is now the example Rosenior has put in place. Fernandez is an isolated incident, a vice captain who had already flirted with the exit door. He deserves his ban.
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