Enzo Fernandez returned to the Chelsea line-up after serving his two-game suspension for his comments to the media. The Argentina midfielder might already be facing another spell on the sidelines though, this time, due to a potential injury. He had to be subbed off late in the game against Manchester United.
Of course, Fernandez remains a key player for Chelsea even though his long-term future at the club is in doubt. And as they slip further away from Champions League qualification, the speculation will only grow.
If Chelsea are to have any hope of turning their season around over these next few weeks, they will need Fernandez. But unfortunately, even that is now in doubt.
Fernandez appears to have been subbed for something to do with his calf and Chelsea are hoping that it was just cramp rather than any kind of long-term injury. According to football.london, Liam Rosenior said:
I just saw him in the dressing room. I think it was his calf. I’m hoping it’s cramp. He’s getting work on it right now because we want him obviously fit for Tuesday. I think the fact that he ran himself into the ground for the club tonight and I expect nothing different from a man of his stature and his quality.
Chelsea handed Enzo Fernandez injury fear ahead of Brighton game
Things are not about to get any easier for Chelsea. They have one of the tougher run-ins, which is why the points they dropped earlier in the season, a lot of the time from winning positions, could come back to haunt them.
Their next game is against Brighton & Hove Albion. The Seagulls might be in ninth spot but they are breathing down the Blues’ neck, with just one point separating them. They were able to come out with a draw against Tottenham Hotspur and will fancy their chances against Chelsea.
Chelsea are hoping that Fernandez is available for that game. But the extent or nature of his issue is not clear at the moment. We can only hope that it is nothing serious and merely cramp.
How can Liam Rosenior turn things around against Brighton?
To be very honest, it is hard to imagine a way by which Chelsea can turn this around. They have now lost far too many games under Rosenior for it to be a run of bad luck.
It is a lot more likely that Rosenior’s game plan has been found out by other managers around the league and they are taking full advantage of it. They have not even scored in their last five games against top division opponents and last four in the Premier League. Chelsea were not nearly as bad under Enzo Maresca, even during the Italian’s final few weeks in the job.
At this point, we can only hope that Rosenior and the team find some way to go on a good run to finish this season. Then again, if that was to happen, it probably would have by now.
