Following a one-sided defeat against Manchester City in the Premier League, Chelsea will now take on third-placed Manchester United at Stamford Bridge this Saturday. Both teams come into this game on the back of defeats. But based on current form, Michael Carrick’s side are heavy favourites.
Last weekend’s defeat was a new low for Chelsea this season. They matched their worst goalless losing streak in the league since 1998. The Blues have now lost three games in a row without scoring a single goal against Newcastle United, Everton and Man City.
Manager Liam Rosenior has already started to face heavy criticism from the fans as he failed to bring any significant improvements to the already subpar side since taking over at the start of this year from Enzo Maresca. On the contrary, they have gotten worse.
Although it would be harsh to put all the blame on the English manager, as the Blues didn’t bring in any significant recruits during the winter transfer window, he deserves his fair share of the blame. This same team had been keeping clean sheets consistently earlier in the campaign and had even beat Barcelona 3-0. Now, they look a million miles away from opposition of that calibre.
Liam Rosenior confirms Enzo Fernandez situation
Recently, Rosenior decided to suspend one of the club’s most consistent players, Enzo Fernandez, for his comments over the international break. The Argentine mentioned Madrid as a city he would like to live in in the future, amidst his recent links with Los Blancos.
Fernandez missed two crucial games, one against Port Vale in the FA Cup quarter finals, which Chelsea won. The other was their 3-0 loss against City. But now, he is back in the mix. The midfielder has joined the squad before their crucial match against Manchester United, as they are struggling to keep their Champions League qualification hopes alive.
According to The Independent, when asked about Fernandez’s current situation, Rosenior provided a positive update, as he said:
“Enzo has been with the group and has been training very, very well. So, it’s business as usual in terms of selection for the game.
“Enzo has come back to the group this week, and the group has been fantastic. In terms of his training, his application to training, Enzo has been fantastic as well.”
Chelsea can’t afford to be without Enzo Fernandez right now
Rosenior and the club management faced heavy criticism since they decided to sideline their number eight after the international break, despite having an important game against City. Many viewed that as a decision which could only hurt the club, which it did.
Fernandez has scored eight goals in the league so far, only behind Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer in terms of goalscoring numbers for the Blues. The Argentine has also netted three times in the Champions League.
The numbers speak for themselves. Whether or not Fernandez decides to stay at the club after the end of this campaign, the Blues definitely can’t afford to keep their best players out. Not when they are struggling this badly.
