Paul Merson has hit out at Chelsea after their 3-0 defeat to Manchester City last Sunday.
Chelsea put up a good fight against Pep Guardiola’s side in the first half and went into the break level.
However, they completely crumbled in the second half after City went up another gear. Midfielders Moises Caicedo and Andrey Santos struggled in particular.
Chelsea without Reece James, discuss…
Malo Gusto and Jeremy Doku
Photo by Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty Images
Paul Merson labels Chelsea’s decision to ban Enzo Fernandez ‘crazy’
After giving a couple of interviews that Chelsea were not happy about, Enzo Fernandez was suspended for two games by the club.
As a result, he missed Sunday’s defeat, and Merson has now criticised the decision to ban the midfielder.
In his column for Sky Sports, the Arsenal legend said: “Why in your brain of brains would you ban Enzo Fernandez for two games? He’s your best passer of the ball, the one who can create, and you chop your nose off to spite your face.
“And it’s not the FA banning him, it’s the club. It’s crazy at the highest level. They were crying out for him yesterday; they couldn’t get out.”
Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea looks on from the bench
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Another Sky Sports pundit, Gary Neville, has been more critical of Fernandez in contrast. If Chelsea go on to miss out on Champions League qualification, Neville thinks Fernandez and Marc Cucurella will be to blame.
Cucurella also gave an interview where he was very critical of the club, which has not helped matters, according to Neville.
The good news for Chelsea is that Neville’s former side Manchester United lost to Leeds United on Monday. If the Blues beat them this weekend, they will cut the gap to just four points.
Enzo Fernandez should have been allowed to play against Manchester City
In the end, Chelsea only hurt themselves by not allowing Fernandez to play in the City game. They could have really done with his technical quality in their build-up play.
The team could not construct too many good attacks with Caicedo and Santos in the middle of the park, especially in the second half.
Not allowing Fernandez to play in an FA Cup quarter-final and fining the Argentine would have been a sufficient punishment. Chelsea and Liam Rosenior went the extra mile, though, and have been punished for it.
With that being said, with the way that City played in the second half, a prime Lionel Messi would probably have not saved the Blues.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox