Enzo Fernandez: Why Moises Caicedo and Chelsea are playing better without me

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Enzo Fernandez: Why Moises Caicedo and Chelsea are playing better without me

When Enzo Fernandez arrived at Stamford Bridge during the January 2023 transfer window, it was clear that the relatively new Chelsea ownership was determined to carry on Roman Abramovich’s tradition of spending top dollar to attract the best players.

Regarding quality, the Blues, under Graham Potter, were acquiring players of a caliber demonstrated by their signing of the best young player at the 2022 World Cup.

Soon after, Fernandez led most of the stats you would expect for a player in his position and made a name for himself as Chelsea’s finest player.
His ball carrying, progressive passes, peripheral vision, and overall play demonstrated that the Blues made the most of their £106.8 million investment.

Fernandez and Caicedo’s partnership

However, it quickly became apparent that Chelsea needed a modern defensive midfielder to ‘free’ the Argentine and fully maximise his potential.

In came Moises Caicedo for another ridiculous amount – on paper, it looked like a match made in heaven.

But so far, the duo has only shown glimpses of their potential together in an inconsistent season under Mauricio Pochettino. Even more concerning, they appear to be playing much better without each other.

In the season’s first game against Liverpool, Fernandez started in front of the back four as Caicedo’s deal was being finalised. The World Cup winner bossed the game as Pochettino began his reign in West London with a worthy point.

More recently, Fernandez’s absence has coincided with Chelsea’s upturn in fortunes. After the 5-0 loss to Arsenal, the Argentine’s last appearance of the season, Pochettino’s side have gone from strength to strength.

Pochettino’s tactical tweak and Marc Cucurella’s resurgence

Part of the magic was Pochettino asking Marc Cucurella to move into midfield when in possession. The tweak started against Aston Villa, where Chelsea wrestled from 2-0 down to get a point away. Since then, they have beaten Tottenham 2-0 and West Ham 5-0.

In the new system, Cucurella joins Caicedo in midfield, which allows Gallagher to play forward as a number 10. The number 10 in the formation, Cole Palmer, is then handed a free role, which he often uses to drift to the right to form overloads with Noni Madueke.

Enzo Fernandez, Marc Cucurella inverted, Moises Caicedo, Chelsea, Connor Gallagher, Mauricio Pochettino, Cole Palmer, Aston Villa

Four of Chelsea’s nine goals have come from the right-hand side since the tweak.

There is a stark difference between this and how Pochettino sets up his team when Fernandez plays. Gallagher still pushes forward to play as a number 10, and Palmer comes off the right alone since the right-winger (Madueke) has been relegated to the bench to accommodate an extra midfielder.

It was expected he would form a double pivot with Caicedo, with Gallagher having no chance in the starting XI, but the England international has proven indispensable to Pochettino this season. The stand-in skipper offers a lot without the ball – something Fernandez lacks – and, therefore, must be on the team. No Chelsea player has more interceptions than him, as captured by Premier League stats.

Gallagher has often been the most advanced of the three midfielders; what if he swapped positions with Fernandez? The Argentine could operate as an auxiliary number 10, with Palmer leaving Gallagher to play as number 8. Cucurella can continue his inverted roles with Caicedo when in possession.

Pochettino’s selection conundrum will increase next season (if he will be there) when Romeo Lavia is back to full fitness. Gallagher, Caicedo, Fernandez, and Lavia all can’t start at the same time.

One or two have to make way but as it stands, the argument that Fernandez is ‘holding back’ Chelsea is lazy.