John Terry, a Chelsea legend, said he was “gutted” when Liam Rosenior refused to lift Enzo Fernandez’s internal two-match suspension before Sunday’s important Premier League game against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge. The ex-captain vented his anger on TikTok, asking why the Argentine’s problem couldn’t have been solved quietly behind closed doors.
After an interview during the international break in which he seemed to be courting Real Madrid and openly talked about wanting to live in the Spanish capital, Fernandez was banned from the team for two games. The 25-year-old World Cup winner missed the FA Cup quarter-final match against Port Vale last weekend, which ended in a 7-0 victory for his team. He has apologised for what he said, but Rosenior has refused to change the punishment. Terry said:
“But obviously we miss the game with Enzo, who missed the Port Vale game in the FA Cup. I never really understand this, to be honest. He’s been one of our best players this season.”
“He fights for the shirt. And I just think these issues can be dealt with internally because it feels like the only team that loses out in these instances are Chelsea.”
“We go without one of our best players and captain or vice-captain for a really big game and an important part of the season. So I’m gutted he’s not playing. Hopefully we can still do the job without him.”
Chelsea’s Mounting Injury Crisis Compounds Rosenior’s Selection Headache
Rosenior has more on his mind than just the Fernandez story this weekend. Chelsea are in sixth place and have only got 24 points from their last 18 games. This terrible run has put a huge dent in their chances of qualifying for the Champions League. To make things worse, Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah, and Levi Colwill are all out, as is winger Jamie Gittens. This leaves the Blues painfully short in important areas.
Moises Caicedo is likely to be the captain of Chelsea for what would be his 100th Premier League game, and his influence will be more important than ever. The Blues want to beat Manchester City for the first time since the 2021 Champions League final. They haven’t won in 12 games. If they win on Sunday, they will move up to fifth place, ahead of Liverpool. The rest of the season will be very important for Chelsea.