Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP via Getty Images
Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP via Getty Images
Enzo Fernandez’s departure from Chelsea late in the transfer window broke up an extremely talented midfield partnership he had at Stamford Bridge with Moises Caicedo.
The South American duo brought a nice complement of skills to the side, with Fernandez’s eye for goal making him undroppable to numerous previous Chelsea managers.
Caicedo’s ability to win the ball back is rivalled by few in world football, and his absence has been felt more than the Argentine’s as a result of his injury in the early stages of this season.
Moises Caicedo rated as a better player than Enzo Fernandez
The Athletic published their rankings of the top 50 players in the Premier League right now, with Chelsea’s attacking trio being rated highly.
Caicedo came in 12th, and despite falling five places from his previous ranking, still ranks one place ahead of Fernandez in 13th.
Enzo Fernandez for Man City
Photo by Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images
This is including the strong start to life at Manchester City for Fernandez, with him picking up where he left off under Enzo Maresca.
Caicedo is yet to start a game for the Blues this season, and his only appearance off the bench saw him forced off again when facing former club, Brighton.
The midfielder is expected to return when the international break comes to an end, with the hope being that he will help them solve the defensive woes which have cropped up early in the season.
No club have conceded more goals in the Premier League than Chelsea, with the lack of a solid midfield exposing their backline on numerous occasions.
Jason Cundy recently argued that Fernandez wouldn’t get in the strongest midfield at Chelsea, with the demands of playing in a 3-4-3 too difficult for the Argentine.
This would likely mean his starting duo would be Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, who pose a nice balance of defensive abilities and progressing the ball forwards to their talented frontline.
Many at Chelsea will feel their ceiling and their season cannot be judged until they have a fit and firing Caicedo in their squad on a regular basis, and thankfully we won’t have to wait much longer.