“He’s far better than Enzo Fernandez” “He should start the next game ahead of him” – Enzo Maresca told to start £30m Chelsea player ahead of Enzo Fernandez
It is reasonable to state that Chelsea’s starting lineup for yesterday’s Premier League opener against Manchester City was far from ideal, losing 2-0.
For the first time ever, Enzo Maresca named an exciting midfield together in the starting lineup for the season’s first game, choosing not to include any new additions to the starting lineup.
Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo played together in midfield, with Enzo Fernandez occupying a slightly more advanced position.
Lavia won over Chelsea supporters with his first start for the team, although Fernandez struggled in his debut game as the team’s captain.
The balance in midfield looked all wrong, and the obvious solution to that problem would be bringing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall into the starting line-up.
Chelsea should start Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall over Enzo Fernandez
No one knows the midfielder’s game better than Maresca, who was in charge of him at Leicester City before his £30m move to West London.
His ability to link the midfield and attack could have been crucial in key moments yesterday, with Fernandez being the player who picked up the ball on the edge of the box in big opportunities.
The Englishman was brought on as a second half substitute as well as Pedro Neto, and the Blues had a few minutes where they were pushing for an equaliser before City wrestled back control.
Chelsea games coming thick and fast
Chelsea have a number of games coming in quick succession now both in Europe and the Premier League, and this will bring a number of opportunities for the manager to experiment with different combinations across the pitch.
Midfield is certainly one area where he should look to do this, and Dewsbury-Hall deserves the opportunity to start with the freedom of playing behind the attack in the coming games.
This could also help them get more out of Cole Palmer, who cut a frustrated figure at times as he struggled to get properly involved against his former side.