Why Caicedo and Chelsea Are Excelling Without Enzo Fernandez: Is Star Midfielder to Blame?

• Enzo Fernandez has come under fire recently with Chelsea 'playing better' without him
• His partnership with Moises Caicedo hasn't shot over the roof yet, as initially expected
• Sports Brief looks at why Fernandez's criticism is baseless amid Chelsea's run of form

Enzo Fernandez's arrival at Stamford Bridge in the January transfer window of 2023 proved the relatively new Chelsea ownership would continue Roman Abramovich's trend of splashing the top dollar to sign the best talents.

As far as talents go, signing the best young player at the 2022 FIFA World Cup spoke immense volumes about the kind of player the Blues, then under Graham Potter, were getting.

Soon after, Fernandez quickly established himself as Chelsea's best player by leading most of the metrics you would want for a player in his position.

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His peripheral vision, ball carries, progressive passes, and general gameplay proved the Blues got every penny's worth of the £106.8 million they spent.

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

But so far, however, 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.

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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 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. 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.

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.

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The overloads and the threat Palmer and Madueke possess are therefore nullified due to the unavailability of one of them. Simply put, Chelsea's recent results were due to Pochettino's ingenuity - not Fernandez's weaknesses.

It should also be noted that the former Benfica player has had to play for the last few months with a groin injury.

How can Pochettino fit Fernandez in this Chelsea team?

Pochettino and his staff will be mulling over how much better they can be if they find the perfect balance with Fernandez on the team. A player of his calibre and passing range walks into any team in the world, but his ideal position on the pitch is troublesome.

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.

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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 can't all 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.

How Chelsea can qualify for Europa League

At the same time, Sports Brief has recently reported on how Chelsea could qualify for the Europa League.

Seven points from their last three games have put the Blues in the race to qualify for Europe next season.

However, they will need a series of favourable results if they are to reach the second-fiddle competition.