Enzo Fernandez sends message to Maresca as Chelsea star threatens flop status

Enzo Fernandez was the big personal winner as Chelsea overcame Leicester 2-1 to continue their strong start to the Premier League season under Enzo Maresca.

The Argentine set up Nicolas Jackson’s opening goal before adding a second himself with quarter of an hour remaining with a header. His first Chelsea goal of the season proved to be decisive as Andre Ayew’s late penalty drew the Foxes within touching distance.

Having come under pressure for a disappointing level of performance this term, it was a strong response from Enzo, who has seen his position in the starting XI come under serious pressure from Romeo Lavia.

Fernandez, though, stepped up to win his shirt back with a man-of-the-match display that showcased attacking qualities that had not been readily evident at Chelsea previously.

READ MORE: Chelsea don’t need a world-class striker: Nicolas Jackson is the real deal

In his first 75 matches since making a club-record €121 million move from Benfica in January 2022, he produced just six goals and eight assists. He now has three goal-contributions in his last two matches, and having been handed the captain’s armband at the King Power, he played his role expertly.

FootballCritic gave him a score of 8.5, which represents comfortably his best performance of the season. He had never managed higher than the 7.0 against Manchester City on the season’s opening day.

Fuelling this was his unusually active offensive contribution that saw him have three shots and complete 20 passes in the final third. But he also won possession five times and won and impressive seven duels.

The 23-year-old can now look forward to another prolonged spell as a key figure in Maresca’s plans.

Joao Felix’s role still under question

If Enzo shone against Leicester, the addition of Joao Felix to the starting XI did not have the impact that Maresca might have wished.

The former Atletico Madrid star did offer a series of penetrating dribbles in the first half, but his overall contribution was again lacking. He failed, for example, to muster a shot on target as Noni Madueke provided a far livelier attacking outlet on the right.

This was Joao Felix’s first Premier League start since returning to Chelsea, and with competition for spots in the XI so intense, such a display has not put any pressure on Maresca to put him in again.