Just over two years on from joining Chelsea for a then-British transfer record fee of £105million, Enzo Fernandez has hit his stride. There have been flashes of his natural quality along the way but this is his most sustained patch of impressive form.
The worry for Enzo Maresca is that it hasn't really shown in the results. There was his initial move back into the starting lineup after starting the season slowly - owing partially to Romeo Lavia's fitness and the need to balance the squad - and since then Fernandez has remained consistent.
He worked his way into the main XI via controlling Conference League performances, something which shouldn't be a surprise because Fernandez is far too good to regularly be playing in that competition, and then supplemented it by important moments domestically. His cameo from the bench away to Liverpool was the first sign of what was to follow.
One month later he assisted for Pedro Neto, again as a substitute, against Arsenal. He really hasn't looked back since and has contributed to 13 goals for club and country since November 10. It has taken Fernandez and his two most recent Chelsea coaches time to get things right, but when in tandem, he is almost completely unique.
Nobody in the squad has his ability to progress play from deep quite the same. Moises Caicedo certainly comes close, and he is better in tight spaces on the edge of his own box, as well as being exponentially superior out of possession, but rarely splits a team open.
Fernandez's variety of play, be it along the floor and through the lines or over the top with dinks and clips to his wide men and willing runners, is a key weapon for Chelsea. When Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke are fit, these skills become all the more useful and dangerous.
What has marked Fernandez out more recently is his impact even when matters have not always been good. It was he who found a forward pass on a day of backwards and sideways play against Leicester City, setting up Marc Cucurella's long-range winner. As Cole Palmer struggles, the burden to create has rested more and more on Fernandez's shoulders.
This has not been helped by Christopher Nkunku and Jadon Sancho's own individual issues. Fernandez continues to show more to his game as the season goes on, though.
He both scored and assisted for Argentina in a 4-1 battering of Brazil during the international break, extending his appearance in a more advanced role. For Chelsea, Maresca has tasked him with crashing the box and arriving late to sweep in (see his opener against Aston Villa), and for Argentina there is more trust in his dynamic play as well.
A lot of this was hampered last season due to an injury. Fernandez played through pain for months and then required surgery. It was not an immediate bounceback but Fernandez has begun to look like the player Chelsea signed from Benfica.
Despite the catastrophe that was the 2022/23 season, he at least did provide enough spark to convince people a good player had been identified. Much of that form was missing for the intervening two years but now he is back and has a point to prove.
The fact that he is playing like this is the case is just as telling. Fernandez has not played Champions League football (like most of his teammates) since April 2023. £100million players with ambitions on being remembered for much more than their price tag demand the top stage and now he will have to fight to help Chelsea get there for next season.
Enzo Fernandez celebrates
Enzo Fernandez celebrates scoring for Argentina in their win against Brazil earlier in the week (Image: Juan Manuel Baez/NurPhoto)
Starting on Thursday against Tottenham - in the reverse of a fixture Fernandez scored in earlier this season - Chelsea have a nine-game sprint to get themselves into Europe. The Champions League is the undoubted aim and Fernandez has more than enough quality to help Chelsea get there.
As a leader of the team, because Fernandez has been named vice-captain and has never shied away from being a senior player, it will be down to him to bring the group together during a crucial two month stretch now. For Argentina, Benfica, and River Plate, Fernandez stepped up in spite of his age.
Now 24, if Chelsea fail to get back into the Champions League he will be at least 25 by the next time they play in the competition. It will also mean he is 26 before the earliest possibility of playing a Champions League knockout match.
The club are not interested in selling him, football.london understands, although reports of Real Madrid sniffing around have surfaced. He now has the chance to do the talking on the pitch and to get Chelsea back to playing among the elite.
Maresca knows how important these next games are and Fernandez is someone who has largely gone under the radar due to the wider problems at SW6. If he can find his best self and stamp his authority it will go some way to getting Chelsea back onto their perch.
During a period of unrest across the squad, with Caicedo left to pick up the pieces and attackers failing to contribute, Fernandez has been one of the few to come through with any credit in the bank. That will matter for very little if Chelsea don't strengthen their position in the race for a top five finish.
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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