Enzo Maresca insists he still has “100 per cent” confidence in Enzo Fernandez but prefers the “physicality” that Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia bring to Chelsea’s midfield.
Fernandez, a £106million signing from Benfica in January 2023, has fallen out of Maresca’s starting XI for Chelsea’s last two Premier League matches against Liverpool and Newcastle, with Lavia preferred alongside Caicedo in midfield behind Cole Palmer.
The demotion has coincided with growing criticism of Fernandez’s form among Chelsea supporters, but Maresca insists his decision has more to do with the qualities of Caicedo and Lavia than Fernandez’s individual performances this season.
“It’s a matter of balance,” Maresca said in a press conference to preview Chelsea’s Premier League clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday. “In this moment, Romeo and Moi give us also physicality, strength in the middle, and this is the reason we found (to play) Malo (Gusto) in the pocket.
“Otherwise when we play with Enzo, it has to be Enzo and then one between Moi and Romeo, and when Enzo moves we struggle a little bit in the middle in terms of physicality.”
Footage of Maresca reacting with frustration on the touchline when Fernandez misplaced a pass during Chelsea’s 2-0 loss to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday has circulated widely among fans on social media, but Maresca played down that moment.
“I show frustration with all of them,” he added. “Don’t look only at Enzo. I still trust Enzo, there is not any reason in the world that I can lose confidence in him.
“The reason why he’s not playing in the Premier League is because I take a different decision, but my confidence is 100 per cent with Enzo.
“I like to say that we don’t have an A team or a B team. I also like to say that we have fantastic players, but we don’t have indispensable players. If Cole is not playing for any reason, it’s Joao (Felix), and if Nico (Jackson) is not playing for any reason, it’s Christo (Nkunku). The reason why we change players is because we think all of them are good.
“For sure, some of them are better than the rest, but that doesn’t mean they are always the ones who are going to play.
“I know that you are looking for some different reasons for Enzo, but for Enzo it’s very simple: he is not playing in this moment. We have so many games to play in the future, now he’s not playing, it doesn’t mean he’s not going to play in two days, and it doesn’t mean Romeo and Moi are always going to play.
“In the moment that some of them drop, probably we can change.”
(Julian Finney/Getty Images)
