Why Enzo Maresca's Chelsea Are The Real Deal

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Despite the draw with Nottingham Forest, Enzo Maresca's Chelsea have made a strong start to the season and go into the International Break deserving of their place in the top 4. But after the struggles of last season, how have The Blues hit the ground running so quickly this time? Adam Clery looks at the side's tactics from front to back and explains why this could be a great season for them.
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[@crimson_wolf94]

Enzo does that kind of a job where you don't notice when he plays, but do notice when he doesn't. He does his job it's just his job doesn't exactly get the recognition for it.

[@MJShokunin]

Drawing against Forest isn’t bad. You should do a video on how well forest are doing this season

[@footballneo606]

Fax

[@JoshBrake-c6j]

Forrest beat Liverpool and there’s videos out there about could Liverpool win the title so that just shows how well drilled Forrest are right now.

[@footballneo606]

@@JoshBrake-c6j that team is also so dirty tho ffs

[@EnglishRoots11]

Also other than Liverpool, Forest are joint 2nd with Arsenal with the least goals conceded!! 6.

[@littleninj0r]

And Fulham! But maybe they've don't Fulham and I haven't seen it

[@brycemcfarland3797]

While Enzo isn’t getting assists or key passes, Enzo is the person who finds the person who can get that pass and sets them up for it perfectly most times (example: Caicedo to Jackson goal against west ham). Sadly there isn’t a key pass to the key pass stat.

[@word2wilson]

Yah. I’ve seen him make that “key pass to key pass” more often this season than last and have been encouraged by his vision.

[@Himsagi-Artz]

Second assist?

[@AM_101]

similar to what jorghi used to do mostly it was his pass that lead to the assist

[@fpl_djhammer]

hockey assists?

[@amotoadaaja4828]

I pointed this out sometimesago and somebody tried to have my head for doing so. Also, most of his pre-assist passes this season were from tackles and blocks he made himself.

[@arglc]

1. Gusto is really good in defence, but the number of times he finds himself in really good positions but fails to do anything good is so frustrating. James would have gotten tons of G&A already. I hope he is able to recover from his recurring injuries. 2. Enzo might not have direct output, but he is starting to develop this partnership with Sancho, which is really promising. Enzo missed the game against Bournemouth and we all saw just how chaotic that game was. Like Maresca said in a press conference a few weeks ago, " Enzo Fernandez is playing as a 6, 8 and a 10 at the same time. Currently among all players, he is the best suited for the role." It is a very demanding role and I think he is doing alright atm but once he is able to develop that relationship with Sancho, we will see just how good both him and Sancho can be.

[@teeqx7361]

People really sleeping on Enzo. Guarantee if we had converted some of his passes, people would see assists to his name and shut up

[@arty4322]

Reece's crossing and finishing would be perfect their.

[@F1olaYT]

Mate, getting sponsored by brands isn’t something to be ashamed of - it’s a reward for your hard work, and means you’ll be able to dedicate more of your time to this content - Congratulations 🎉

[@Zackvriens]

Enzo Fernandez is a top player but he struggles with the pace of the premier league. I think if he went to Spain or Italy everyone would see his quality

[@b4nterontilt245]

His only flaw is physicality

[@jivan8188]

It’s very fascinating how Maresca was able to revolutionize a young core from Chelsea although tying with Forest was rough it was more of a purple patch. (For one obvious reason)

[@Talk3rs]

we won 41 points in last 20 league matches last season, basically same points/match (slightly better). With big part of that season with many injuries of players who are key now.

[@Mal_Freeman0451]

A purple patch is a period of things going well. How is a draw with Forest a purple patch?

[@teeqx7361]

@@Talk3rsbut bro we look way better rn. Better chances and build up, plus players showing improvement like noni and colwill

[@justanormalguy4816]

​@@Talk3rs We've played way better now compared to the last few matches of last season. We're starting to know the idea of our starting xl, build up shape and even defensively we're starting to look better cause there's clearly a shape. It's only a matter of time until the players grasp exactly how we want to play in and out of possession.

[@supreethm92]

THANK YOU for an accurate assessment of Sanchez. Too often people say “he is shit with his feet”… no, we saw what it was like to have a keeper with virtually no distribution ability in Mendy a few years ago. Sanchez is good to great with his feet a majority of the time, but he tends to make some strange decisions at inopportune moments. I think these issues can largely be coached out of him especially since Maresca is doing his best to shoulder the blame and not throwing his keeper under the bus

[@calm123]

Mendy>>>>> Sanchez will ever be for us

[@toddsmith8242]

I cannot wait to see Reece James in that inverted full back role if he ever gets healthy again (big if). He's such a class player when he has two functioning hamstrings.

[@limofootball]

I don't think he can invert bc he'll lose his legs (already lost anyway). He's the critical part of the team and needs to be protected. He should be allowed to dictate play from RCB position. Cucurella and Veiga should invert.

[@paranjayvora4563]

We need him for his inch perfect crosses

[@errrr286]

If you watched preseason you'll know he's incapable lol. Looks like a lost chicken every time he inverts.

[@Si-ns3wj]

His career is over

[@radranks6281]

It’s over for Reece he’ll never play for us again

[@mikhailjordanov5863]

football aside, i appreciate the effort that went into making that ad instead of just swinging by just for the sake of doing it.

[@enifomeeee]

I think Fernandez is great. Like you said, very intelligent and creative. His role's not sorted, but it's not that much of a worry. Quality will eventually shine through.

[@doctorlyu]

Enzo's best quality is long passes and switches. It is noticable when he isn't in the squad. Our main issue in attacking is moving the ball quickly to change the angle of attack. It is something he does well. I hope the rest of his game can grow.

[@rayyanpatel372]

in enzos first 6 months he was outstanding like by far our best player and was playing as a pivot so maybe thats just his best position

[@JesusZeuDog]

Enzo is a brilliant Regista, he needs the game before him to complete those line breaking passes, the only manager who used him like that has been Potter (and he was pretty much the only satisfaction of the squad back then) Since then, Managers are trying to give him a more advanced role and it is just not working but we cannot put him lower on the field with this squad and tactic so we have no choice

[@moletsanepencilart]

Remember he had world class players like Kante, Kovacic next to him..😅

[@konzza]

Yup. He's too slow, sluggish and lazy to make better use of himself at more contested areas of the field further up the pitch. He hardly ever makes any effort to become open to receive passes. If he bothered to put in some effort, there is no reason why he wouldn't be good in more advanced position.

[@futmdm]

As both a chelsea and benfica fan…I simply think he hasn’t been utilised right at all…potter seems to have been the only manager to really get him playing well and that was at the base of midfield…I still think enzo and caicedo would be the perfect double pivot…if you allowed both of them to stay in those deeper areas rather than making enzo play further forward

[@kingcort8073]

Mehn the truth is Enzo isn’t really cut out for Chelsea….When he did shine under porter was when he was the DM which he was playing well but Chelsea were leaking goals..and now the way football is being played…Midfielders moves up with rb of lb coming into the middle

[@Zackvriens]

I’ve been waiting for this! Keep up the great content

[@bboogghheeyy2324]

You talked about how the general structure works, and we thank you But what I really wanted to know why Chelsea became one of the highest goalscoring sides in Europe

[@Eldriitch]

Frankly I think a lot of it is just having a general structure that works, and a cole palmer. Margins are fine at the top level of football and individually dominant talent who's seeing the service they need is more than enough to make the difference between a side struggling to succeed in the attack and one that's dominating it.

[@RasenRendanX]

Us Chelsea fans been waiting for this one 🔥 Maresca changed our lives

[@jgmediting7770]

He’s not been there long enough to make any real difference. It’s just short term reaction.

[@uchegbudivine6885]

​@@jgmediting7770idgaf Am happy that what matters

[@jgmediting7770]

@@uchegbudivine6885 Cool. Enjoy it whilst the honeymoon period lasts.

[@CallumCFC_]

It’s obviously not the whole reason, but definitely part of Enzo F struggling w/ his creative passing, is that he’s right footed playing on the left. Restricts the angles he’s got available to him, same as it did with England’s left backs at the euros.

[@johnhoney657]

That's a weak argument, given Palmer is a left footer playing on the right.

[@nicolasc-k3417]

As a Chelsea fan on Enzo Fernandez I see a really intelligent player in there and I think it’s most obvious when we player cup matches against lower teams and you can see how he reads the space and the runs to make etc. but equally, especially last season, I grew very tired of his often lazy and predictable passing which would sometimes result in giving it away, he’s very slow and when we get countered he offers nothing defensively and would just get run past and in most matches he is just pretty much an average midfielder who does a decent job. It feels like there’s a lot more potential there and he has moments of brilliant but he’s one of the players in our starting 11 that I increasingly get tired of and feel like offers the least.

[@ringoboss6290]

Yet we he was the missin puzzle when we played bournemouth

[@EveryOtherWeekendRVA]

I think Enzo has been good. He’s been the one transitioning us from ball recycling to the opponents part of the pitch, and then Cole transitions us from there to an attacking position. When he doesn’t play it feels way harder to go from the half way line to the attacking third.

[@Belligerentpotatoes]

I like Gusto defensively and he’s alright going forward but I do wish we had Reece James in the sort of positions Gusto kept finding against Forest. Maresca had James confined to staying in the midfield during preseason and it wasn’t great but this hybrid role would be a nightmare for an opposing team having to deal with Palmer, Madueke, and James all operating on the right.

[@princeetu8831]

James would get injured doing as much running as Gusto does.

[@avilevy8144]

As mentioned by many others, you provide the best football analysis on both KZbin and legacy media. Also, the self awareness of doing the ad is much appreciated, even though you look like a nob head whilst doing it ❤

[@SeamusMaguire]

I first started doubting Enzo Fernandez in one of his first games for Chelsea, when at a Chelsea Corner in the Champions League he was the last man back to stop a break away, and the breakaway forward skinned him and scored. Then look at the statistics - Chelsea results when Fernandez is playing v Chelsea results when he’s out injured or sick. He was injured when Chelsea put together their late run into 6th place. He is too slow to get back, keeps trying to tackle from the wrong side, and just gets shrugged off and by-passed. Playing for Argentina he is surrounded by quality players who are different from Chelsea’s quality players. To be honest, when I hear that Fernendez is out, and we are playing one of our other midfielders, I feel relieved. My other pet peeve is Wesley Fofana, who gives up scoring chance after scoring chance to the opposition (3 or 4 v Nottingham Forest alone) and in Chelsea first games this season he has been bailed out time after time by Robert Sanchez - including that brilliant penalty save. I am much more confident when neither Fernandez nor “For f*cks sake Fofana!!” are playing.

[@aidenward8765]

Do one on Nottingham Forrest as well as Hendrick Rydstrøm

[@jokerhaha3620]

Enzo does the pass before the assist and that still has a big part in a game. He also helps so much to come our of the press and link defence to midfield to final third really well. he aint pulling up thhe numbers (G/A) but hes doin alot

[@sombatgarlik8856]

Always suspected Adam would be the first one on the dance floor when Yeah comes on. Good man 😅

[@Reply-n8f]

The comeback is real this time💙

[@austin33785]

And what a sad life that must be.

[@Reply-n8f]

@@austin33785 we've been waiting

[@book2316]

We have been waiting for this video for so long!

[@simplycvrsive]

I think he's a good player, but he has a ceiling, and it's below the top level. . . In a slower paced game, he can dictate play. . . But in this fast-paced league he is being pressed immediately when he's on the ball, he's line braking passes are intercepted too easily and in defensive transition he is a nightmare for the team, as he is bypassed quite frequently. . . It's unfortunate, but unless his in a team like Man City, who just dominates possession for fun, he'll be ineffective against most teams in the league. . . Even city have more mobile midfielders than him so. . .yeah

[@felexesman123]

As a Chelsea fan. Enzo is amazing and incredibly frustrating at the same time. He's very safe on the ball, can sometimes ping ball wherever he wants them and is generally in the right posisitons. But and it is a big but, he sometimes loses possesion in the silliest ways (Same as Caicedo does) and when he does get in good finishing situations in the box, he never ever finishes them, id love to see some statistics of how hes performing against his xG. He has most definitely looked better this season, especially as he's has been playing a little deeper than last season (Where he some times played next to Nicholas Jackoson??)

[@simoncaton1226]

I also think that we have great depth in forward areas. Like Bournemouth when we brought Nkunku on and he scored the winning goal. There is also Joao Felix who can come off the bench.

[@theweekndxo7438]

Forest play anti-football lmao tackling the ball and grabbing it to stop Jackson from breaking through the last defensive line and only getting a yellow. Time wasting and faking injuries, starting fights that OUR players somehow get booked for and they don't. Just absolute smarmy team and hope they go down lol

[@Clemo1991]

It's only what Jose did with chelsea

[@theweekndxo7438]

@@Clemo1991 cry

[@theweekndxo7438]

@@thesedreamsarefree bros glazing a relegation battle team because they’re playing like filth and turning out results lmao I think there’s a big difference between parking the bus for a point and deliberately hand balling to stop an attack, faking injuries and starting fights for a POINT compared to parking the bus in a UCL final 💀 like what brain damage do you have to even think they’re the same

[@theweekndxo7438]

@@thesedreamsarefree also goofy I never said the park the bus defensive stuff in my criticism, literally learn to read better. The stuff I criticized was the DELIBERATE HAND BALL, TIME WASTING AND FAKING INJURIES, and STARTING FIGHTS. Good lord dumb mfs on this app

[@davereckoning5910]

@@theweekndxo7438 Your point is good, no need to weaken it by being rude to the guy.

[@TheBucky002]

Enzo’s best attribute in my opinion is his long passing, he’s great at playing deep and making line breaking passes. But likely because he’s only ok defensively, every manager we’ve had have tried to use him as a CAM rather than a CDM

[@Si-ns3wj]

Adam Clery should be a national treasure

[@nefejefia7475]

The problem with Enzo was the same with Jorginho They both need to play beside someone who will run and help them defensively, their best roles are as a deep lying playmaker Enzo plays well for Argentina because he has MacAllister and De Paul who can do the running and defensive work for him Same way Jorginho played well at Chelsea because he had Kovacic and Kante who did the defensive work and running for him and even if he did make a mistake he had the likes of Rudiger and Thiago Silva who are much better defenders than Colwill and Fofana And I believe for this to work at Chelsea Enzo has to play in a two man midfield with Lavia as Lavia can cover more space than Caicedo although he isn't exactly better defensively Enzo also played well under Potter because he played as a deep lying playmaker

[@TopherX4]

As a Chelsea fan I agree with everything you’ve said. I’ve loved the variations in attack and flowers for Gusto, he has been so good that people haven’t really missed Reece James. As for Fernandez, I don’t think he’s been great but it makes it look worse when so much of the play goes through Palmer and not him.

[@magikdethmonkey]

Best in-video Hello Fresh advert I've seen. Quality 🤣

[@emmanueleden5783]

I love your videos when you're compare football to cooking and all that stuff.

[@Iraultzailea]

Enzo - perfect Libero. Play him as a free-to-roam quarterback in the middle of a Back 3/Back 5 Kinda like Kroos did at the Euros, but centrally. Mascherano moved from DM -> CB, I reckon Fernandez could as well.

[@sean-e-boy]

a draw against forest isnt bad considering theyve been a tough opponent for top teams to play against. I also wanted to say chelsea is one of the only squads equipped to deal with mass injuries and the increased demand and workload of players with all the games UEFA, FIFA, and the FA are adding in a calendar year not to mention academy players

[@Storm_watch007]

Most anticipated video of the week.

[@Nix-nb3zn]

As a Chelsea fan - I am fed up with Enzo Fernandez. He has so many glaring weaknesses as a player which he is supposed to make up with his "world class" passing but he just simply doesn't. He is a passenger in games most of the time, not doing much on the ball nor off it. I personally think the best Chelsea XI has him on the bench but I know some other Chels fans would disagree with me.

[@melondowski7507]

Enzo Fernandez isn't good at playing in pressure he always want to hold on to it and take time but he just loses the ball because holding on to the ball in the middle doesn't work in the premier league. He just keeps on having to play in a way that counter's how he wants to play

[@hanogover]

I think Fernandez doesn't fit premier league, we are clearly better with him than with let's say casedei but I would like to see caicedo - lavia pivot how that would work who would go forward etc. I see Enzo leaving for Bayern or Real or even Juve in a year or two and being hailed as the best middlefielder in the world. But I liked how he pressed in Forest game, never seen him do that before and was getting in better positions so maybe it's a time thing and in two months we will be singing him praises

[@olawalesalahudeen6743]

Let's be real. Neither B Munich or Real Madrid will be willing to invest their stocks in Enzo.

[@calm123]

None those clubs want Enzo who's a flop, he go to. Atletico or Sevilla

[@gregtorlinski3249]

Any appetite for the Bayern Villa game? Haven't had any Emery content in a long time. Thanks

[@MrYohan415]

Honestly think that Enzo best position is in the mid third, not receiving in the attacking third near the penalty box. He just isn’t as agile on the turn as others are. He needs time on the ball which is more afforded where caicedo ends up when we have sustained possession

[@patk1877]

Enzo is an amazing 6 that cant defend. He was best under Frank as the central 6 with conor or someone doing a bit of running. For argentina he plays there and is so much more involved. he is best when he has the ball and is literally so similar to jorginio, which is why he is no good at 8 or 10. smacking balls from deep, running the play is him.

[@masonhenderson0221]

I think Fernandez looks more like a Fabregas type. He can sit deep and distribute well. However, I feel like where Fabregas used his intelligence to counteract his lack of pace and strength, Fernandez hasn't figured that out yet, so he's often losing out to stronger or faster midfielders when he's sitting deeper. So, for me, his intelligence and decision-making need to improve to reach the levels we expect of him, especially in the final third.

[@finegoldstones]

As a chelsea fan, I do think there is some struggle to fit Enzo into the side. That's not a surprise since we have the same problem with Nkunku, a man who can't get a sniff in the PL starting lineup despite likely being our most clinical finisher. A big problem now for enzo is Sancho. Sancho can beat players but doesn't have the pace to make them stay beat, so he relies on teammates to play around him who do have that pace. Against Bournemouth he did so well because Cucurella was overlapping and inverlapping. Enzo isn't that type of player, so next to Sancho for 83 minutes, his direct impact will be somewhat subdued, especially against a side like Forest that sit back and don't allow space in behind for his through balls. I would say it's only a matter of time before details like this get ironed out and Chelsea become seriously dangerous. Palmer, Enzo and Colwill are probably all in the top 10 for ball progressing incisive passes ITL and the benefits of such a setup are something Maresca is primed to reap.

[@glenstout5096]

Forest beat Liverpool they must be doing something great love to see an analysis on their story

[@limofootball]

They also lost to Fulham a week before.

[@cisco5338]

They beat Liverpool by parking the bus and waiting for key moments to attack It's not anything special

[@Clemo1991]

​@cisco5338 😂 you no note about football park bus if you actually watch what forest was doing at Liverpool was giving Liverpool no space players covering each other and pushing Liverpool down the wing as Liverpool games they dominated midfield

[@itzk2621]

For me enzo fernandes is best as a deep lying playmaker, mainly due to his lack of attacking quality he possesses but he is so comfortable on the ball and has the passing range to be able to pull of that role

[@luccass6793]

I think the Inverted Full-Backs are the biggest problem for Enzo, I see him as a Kross-lite player, sitting deep most of the time, recicling possession opening space for great progressive passes without pressure and only going forward on clear pockets of space, but he's not defensive enough to be the single pivot and not agressive enough to be constantly trying killer balls under pressure. Chelsea are a better side playing this way, but Enzo doesn't really fit as 6 nor as a 10

[@Anon97123]

Think Enzo needs to be deeper in possession. He’s better as a deep lying playmaker than an advanced/creative one. Have him and Caicedo in those pivot positions in possession rather than an inverted fullback. Palmer RW still occupying the right half space with Gusto holding the width with overlaps on the right instead of Madueke. Then Nkunku in the 10 occupying the left half space. Looks something like: Jackson Sancho-Nkunku-Palmer-Gusto Enzo-Caicedo Veiga-Colwill-Fofana Sanchez in possession. I don’t mind tbf if we’re winning games with the currently tactics, but do feel lol this gets the best out of our best players. Palmer still in his favourite right half space, Gusto still getting forward but out wide like last season rather than midfield. Nkunku in the starting lineup in central areas but playing between the lines rather than with his back to goal and Enzo+Caicedo involved in the buildup/ball progression/recycling possession from deep. Again, not at all opposed to the current tactics with Madueke RW since we’re winning games. But right now, Nkunku and Enzo are being sacrificed for him be they’re two of our best players. Just aren’t being played to their strengths rn (or simply just not starting). Think it’s because of Madueke’s excellent form and the fact that we have very little depth up front so Nkunku has to play there to allow Jackson to be rested/not overworked. But as good as we are/have been, I think we’d be even better with Nkunku and Enzo in their best positions.

[@MrRuddler]

Re Enzo Fernandez - I think he has played too much football over the last two years. He's tired - and feels no pressure for his place in the team. He needs benched - Lavia would slot in very nicely - the rest and the accompanying metaphorical kick up the arse would work wonders.

[@johnmatthews7694]

It would be interesting to compare the Prem team with the Conference League team.. Do they use the same tactics? I was under the impression JSorenson was brought in because he is great with is feet - if so does he play higher up the pitch? It doesn't seem that way. Veiga inverts but (obviously) Desasi doesn't and Nkunku is very different to Jackson.. Presumably Maresca has a different plan but with broad similarities? Just a thought Adam..another great video!

[@AdewolaTosin]

The problem with Enzo is he’s still being used wrong He’s been good in one role and one role alone in his carrier and that’s deep lying play maker He creates best from deep when he has time to pick up passes to the wing and have the vision to give through balls from deep That area where Palmer comes back to get the ball is exactly where Enzo should be occupying the whole game but at the left side He doesn’t have the athleticism or attacking ability to play advanced Just keep him deep and see what happens Crazy how potter was the only one who did that and that’s the only time Enzo was amazing for us It’s literally clear as day Caseido box to box destroyer like B-Tek Kante with better passing That’s the vision

[@tylergriffffin]

You can't break down a low block with only 3 attacking players willing to shoot the ball when a yard of space appears. Sancho and Enzo both avoid the shot which makes marking the other 3 attackers easier

[@nawfsideceetv9574]

Tbh, its really just his connection with Sancho, it’s not there yet and it will. And I also do think it’s not really a problem at the moment, where playing good football and he seems to be fine with his role right now.

[@arian2716]

The issue with Enzo Fernandez is that hes a single privot player not a double pivot kind of guy. i thought he would flourish in this new role as an advanced 8/10 but its not looking very promising. only thing he has going for himself rn is the fact that hes won most posessions back from opponents in the chelsea team

[@simonharmer9939]

I think Enzo Fernandez doesn't have the required legs to stand out in this system RIGHT NOW. But as Chelsea get more comfortable with Maresca's ideas he will find his place to shine. Could be as far as next season.

[@yasrifapurbo7682]

Enzo is a good player but he needs to improve his defensive skills. Felix in that position can balance the team but he also needs to improve his workrate. Jackson should be preffered as a 9 but Nkuku is a better option agaiant the low block.

[@cfc1523]

Chelsea could compete for anything this season. Could push for the title or relegation. I love Chelsea with all my heart. These last couple years have been a rollercoaster. We go into every game not bowing what the hell is going to happen. Probably the most exciting team to watch in the world right now (maybe except for Barcelona - but for different reasons)

[@Abc123ert56]

We all said something similar when he was at Leicester. Didn't work out there and it won't work here in the long term. If by Christmas 2025 he's fighting for a title I'll apologize

[@PuzzledlifeTV]

Brilliant analysis, nice job mate

[@Kingzolo]

loftus cheek or chuwemeka would play the role that enzo plays perfectly

[@ekjyotsingh7206]

About Enzo Fernandez - I feel like no one apart from Potter (yeah, feels weird to say) has profiled and platformed him to his maximum strengths. He is a Deep Lying Playmaker who lacks the physicality to do the ragged work in a double pivot. That advance 8/10 hybrid role can work to an extent for him, but neither have we been using the half-space crosses like Leicester was under Maresca (we lack a box dominating Striker too tbh), nor has Enzo Fernandez been able to improve the physically demanding aspects of that role. Funny part, that role in the LHS is perfectly suited for Carney Chukwuemeka, he could absolutely destroy in that position, only if he wasn't being shunned for being a young and yet to establish himself player who was signed on higher wages than the board would now like to have. Enzo Fernandez isn't very quick, not very good at duelling, lacks any real aerial prowess, is often easy to out-muscle. One might think that if he has so many downsides, why was he so highly sought after, successful at international level, etc. The answer to that is - his on-the-ball capabilities. He is one of the best in the world in those regards. He can help control the tempo, needs that volume of passes, and can create solid long balls and through balls from deep. But that comes from a double pivot where his pivot partner is someone who can provide cover for his downsides along with performing his own pivot duties well. At international level, he has likes of Rodrigo De Paul that perfectly complement that. At Chelsea, we unfortunately don't have such a profile. This is the reason why I was critical of the Caicedo signing, even though I love that player, and he brings his own solid qualities to the squad. Even Lavia isn't the perfect double-duty profile for Enzo. Both Caicedo and Enzo (the latter needing it more) sorely require much more physicality and athleticism in the pivot to shine the brightest. Caicedo is able to do that with the inverting fullbacks, Enzo can't. He needs someone like a Declan Rice or Palinha, who would have been perfect to complement his DLP skills in a double pivot. It also wasn’t a surprise that last season, both Enzo and Caicedo played their roles way better when their pivot partner was Gallagher, who brought a lot of athleticism, stamina and strength to the pivot, doing a lot of the dirty work and ground covering and duelling. Although his ball progression was even worse from there. I would love to see Veiga inverting with Enzo to form a double pivot and see how that works, although that might limit the breakthrough qualities of Veiga we have seen recently. That might work for Enzo though. I also thought Reece inverting and his physicality could help as well, but that will limit his ability of bombing down the wing and delivering the perfect crosses. Plus, it would be a boon if we can get him fit and available first, lol.

[@emilianovillarreal7324]

Enzo is a traditional 8 a CM like a Toni Kroos type player and in maresca’s system the CM is like a hybrid 8/10, like an advanced 8 and that’s not really Enzo’s playing style or best position .

[@timothyoluwafemi8078]

Enzo fernandez could fit into a 3 diamond 3 on left of the diamond because now he can use his creative ability higher up or in buildup qnd also caicedo as a destroyer would lift pressure off him

[@Whatmowthelawn]

Enzo has great vision always and always seems to have a picture in his head of the game. His quality of delivery however, has been hit and miss. I think theres a couple factors to this. 1. He is playing with a new player in front of him, even though you can see the relationship with Sancho starting to develop. Palmer on the other hand, has been playing with Noni for years throughout the England set up. Im pretty sure this is why Noni has been prefered over Neto, even when his form has dipped, to get the best out of Palmer. 2. Confidence still seems low. I think this is one of the reasons hes been made captain, to try and give him a boost. I dont think it helped him that Chelseas fantastic end to last season was when he was forced out of the team through injury. This is shown in slower games (such as Forest) where the more time he has to think the less effective he seems. Overall, i think with a bit more time we will really start to see his quality come through. Theres a rare gem of a player in there if we can get him fireing.

[@xiaoling6127]

The thing with enzo is he getting lots of passes that lead to assists but he isn’t getting them which is kinda of annoying with his price tag I would prefer him deeper but he still doing decent

[@OriginalAimbot]

Enzo was finding a goal scoring opportunity a game for a while last season. No such spark like that this season. Maybe as captain he feels he should be more disciplined.

[@arnold.santhosh8895]

Sancho is really one of the stand out players in chelsea squad ❤❤

[@SKa-tt9nm]

The ad read was spectacular 😂

[@K41Z3RR]

As for Enzo Fernandes, I have one thought - what a pity that he was bought for 120 million and not 60 (fair price), because now Chelsea cannot secure his transfer in the next couple of years. But seriously, I think his potential is partly ruined by his teammates. Fernandes makes a lot of runs in front of and inside the box, but he doesn't get the ball. The focus naturally goes to Palmer, and some teammates just ignore everyone around them (Madueke).

[@rorymyers3050]

Absolutely LOVE these videos! 🔥🤩🙌 Makes me actually understand the game more.. So thanks and keep it up 🙌🙌

[@tomisinodukogbe3582]

Enzo has been good this season, maybe he wasnt so good against forest but he’s been good this season

[@frieza2235]

Hard to say Enzo is not being used well when he has to get back to DM in defence. The easy solution is to replace him with Joao Felix, but Felix won’t get back to dm when defending

[@ngonikay5299]

I love your content, apart from the fact you doing asernal content most of the time. U r really good at what you do

[@mygoodfriendseth.mp3]

as a chelsea fan it’s so nice to have positive things being said in the media about us again holy shit 😭 it’s been nothing but negativity since the new ownership came in, some of it self inflicted sure, but a lot of it was just for clicks

[@jgmediting7770]

It’s all for clicks.

[@rdkjcv8179]

I think that Chelsea without Enzo and with Lavia in the first team will be better. I am a Chelsea fan and I think that with Lavia we get more stability and in the City game we saw that he was pretty comfortable in the build-up and could find the passes Enzo finds. Enzo does not look like he has a great motor/does not find himself in good positions to help stopping transitions, on the other hand Lavia is just a bigger body there. I am saying all this because the attacking output from Enzo is nowhere near where it should be to have him doing the job he does on defence. He does have a killer pass in him but those are few and far between. In my humble opinion Lavia should be given a chance in front of him but sadly money talks. Great vid btw.

[@rorymyers3050]

17:20 btw I did actually share this with my dad 😂🔥 This is one of the first videos I shared

[@camiloton]

Enzo's shooting needs work, his final third through balls are not on Palmer's level either, maybe it's a lack of creativity or confidence. I want to see more penetrating passes from him even if the percentages aren't there at first. He's not as physical as Caicedo. But Enzo plays the tempo well and has great distribution overall. Would also like to see him take on players more and charge through the middle like Kovacic did.

[@BeauBagley-os5ob]

Fernandez absolutely needs to step his game up, he’s been far less than lethal. Would love to see more useful plays from him

[@L.urosa90]

I think Enzo should’ve been subbed for Lavia (I think lavia wasnt 100% fit and that would explain it) but also Maresca took way too long to make changes (80min) and Sancho wasn’t having his best game he should’ve been subbed out for Felix much earlier

[@MmesomaOnonuju-x1g]

Please breakdown the Crystal Palace and West Ham because he abandoned his system for those games

[@kellyaggy]

The hello fresh ad was class btw👍🏾

[@leedsmanc]

I like a buttery biscuit buildup base

[@Judo-l8d]

Enzo just needs to put his head down and work on his game. He hasn’t improved much since coming to Chelsea but he’s already so good and so young that he’s considered a top player but if he’s going to keep up with the rest of the team he needs to adapt his skills

[@NightDont]

Enzo Fernandes should play the pivot position next to caicedo

[@MONKEYDLUFFY-or4kg]

youngest team in premiere league currently top 4 is something

[@atom5410]

Im a chelsea fan, heres one take: i think enzo looks like hes playing with the world on his shoulders. Im not sure what needs to change in order to free him up, i think its probably less transition heavy football.

[@999Vinzo]

Enzo right now is in a weird space in the squad. We all know how good he is, but he is a bit too slow. There are times where I wish it was Caceido-Lavia pivot. He would be insane for Real Madrid or just another big team outside of England.

[@1sparkyj]

For a video endorsing Hello Fresh, you mentioned Gousto a lot 😂

[@PlayerAyte]

Enzo is the most irreplaceable player in Maresca's system. His intelligence and spatial awareness is incredible.

[@littleninj0r]

We're the real deal because we're getting actual results. With Poch it was all about why we were actually just unlucky to not get results when in reality we were pants lol. We now have a clear identity and style and it's paying off! Just need to learn how to defend

[@MylesB93-]

Respectfully, I (and I think most sensible Chelsea fans) don't think we should be aiming for anything more than top 4. We've started the season really well and Maresca is doing a great job but to go from 6th to challenging for the title isn't realistic at all.

[@benny7555]

Enzo is good. I would have to go back and look at the potter era to know where hes played best for us (and I really don't want to do that), but I feel this role as an 8 that runs forward and gets in the box or does underlapping runs just isn't where hes meant to be. I actually think that perhaps with the often inverted fullback its just a worse system to have him in. he should be the "other" holding midfielder, or in a back 5 hes "the" holding midfielder creating forward chances. basically he'd have fit great into a tuchel team, perhaps not this system, at least while we have inverted fullbacks. theres simply other players that can do that forward number 8 job better. I reallyyyyy don't want to bring him up because I think it's a silly debate, but actually in that role, conor gallagher did better. theres better players than him for it as well, but thats one we actually HAD. I think sticking with this system, we play lavia as the DM and caicedo in enzo's role and he does everything enzo does the same, but with better defensive and ball-retaining abilities. That's the othe problem with enzo, why on earth is he looking gassed 60mins into a pretty dead game? makes me wonder if hes still regaining fitness from the hernia surgery.

[@PuzzledlifeTV]

Oh, on the fernandez thing? It's a chin scratcher isn't it? He would be perfect in a position that doesn't exist -but hopefully maresca finds it because Enzo is a class player

[@chekwubesamuel837]

Fans are too quick to judge Fernandez, but the truth is that Caicedo and Lavia do similar work and can't do Fernandez's work. I see Santos doing similar work to Fernandez.