Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo helped Chelsea to beat Leicester City 1-0 in the Premier League on Sunday.
Fernandez and Caicedo both started in midfield for the Blues as they went on to claim all three points and climb back into the top four.
It was a tricky game for the latter to navigate. Caicedo is one yellow card away from suspension and absolutely loves a tackle.
But the 23-year-old avoided picking up his 10th caution of the season, something Fernandez would have been delighted about.
Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
Moises Caicedo has saved Enzo Fernandez from Arsenal horror show
Had Caicedo been booked against Leicester on Sunday, he would have missed Chelsea‘s Premier League clash against Arsenal this weekend.
Caicedo is a brilliant midfield player and so is his teammate Fernandez. In the Blues’ victory over Copenhagen in the Conference League last week, Fernandez had a 100% pass success rate.
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On the ball, the Argentine is excellent. However, out of possession, there is room to improve. Simply put, Fernandez is not the most athletic footballer out there, nor is he the best ball-winner.
Going up against Arsenal’s midfield and attack at the Emirates without Caicedo, things could have got very ugly for him.
Thankfully, it is not something that the 24-year-old or Enzo Maresca will have to worry about after Caicedo was able to avoid that 10th caution.
While Chelsea have the likes of Caicedo, Fernandez, Romeo Lavia and Andrey Santos, they could still try to sign another midfielder this summer. It has been claimed that Chelsea are interested in Atletico Madrid’s Pablo Barrios.
Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images
Enzo Fernandez’s Leicester stats
Fernandez’s passing against Leicester was nowhere near as accurate as it was in the Copenhagen game last week. However, he still put in a top performance over the weekend.
Fernandez made six key passes, more than any other player on the pitch. The Argentina international also attempted 14 crosses of the ball, with four of them being successful.
Enzo Fernandez vs Leicester Total
Minutes 90
Touches 95
Accurate passes 52/66 (79%)
Key passes 6
Crosses (accurate) 14 (4)
Long balls (accurate) 6 (3)
Shots 4
Via Sofascore
It was also Fernandez who set up Marc Cucurella’s winning goal, so the former Benfica man can be pleased with his latest display.
It was a fantastic strike, which did not surprise Jadon Sancho. Hopefully, the winger, Cucurella or Fernandez can do the same against Arsenal at the weekend.