Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez earns Frank Lampard comparisons after his goal beats Tottenham | OneFootball

With eight games to go, Fernandez could yet match the most prolific campaign of his career

You can see why the comparison was made: a Chelsea No8 breaking into the box late, run timed to perfection, the finish as assured as that of any No9.

Fernandez will never be Frank in terms of the place he merits in Chelsea affections nor, in all likelihood given the era, in terms of what he achieves. But it is no exaggeration to say that when the Blues shelled out a British transfer record £106.8million for the Argentine in January 2023, there was expectation that they were signing an all-action midfielder in the Lampard mould.

Fernandez heads home Chelsea’s only goal against Tottenham

AFP via Getty Images

For part of Fernandez’s early Chelsea career, that led to a degree of confusion about what exactly it is he does and where he ought to play. He seemed to have all the attributes to play all the central midfield positions but not enough of any of them to do so at the level expected of a £100m buy.

It was Lampard himself who managed Fernandez through some of his first months in blue, returning to the club as caretaker in April 2023 and using the former Benfica man as a deep-lying No6. That, though, was as much out of necessity as anything and Lampard suggested at the time that there was more to the recent World Cup-winner’s game.

"He could play in probably all the midfield roles,” Lampard said at the time. “But seeing him train and play and getting a feeling for him, he probably has more to offer than to be a single-six. Where he can join into the game more, and play as an eight, and offer the really good attributes he’s got across his game.”

Maresca has taken that theory and pushed it further, this season deploying Fernandez in an increasingly advanced role, so that at times in possession Chelsea operate with he and Cole Palmer almost as twin No10s. The pair combined brilliantly for that winner against Spurs, Fernandez attacking Palmer’s cross and the space left by two centre-backs distracted by Nicolas Jackson’s threat; it was the highlight of an outstanding performance.

Twin threat: Fernandez celebrates his goal with Cole Palmer

REUTERS

Initially a certain starter, Fernandez briefly lost his place in Maresca’s first-choice team in the autumn. But since returning after the November international break and taking on that more adventurous brief, he has nine goal involvements in 18 league games.

That includes five league goals, already an improvement on the three of his first full season at Stamford Bridge last term, and with eight games to go he could yet match the most prolific campaign of his career, when he scored eight for River Plate in 2022, earning a move to Europe. He also found the net for Argentina last week, in a crunch meeting with Brazil.

“Since we started, Enzo has improved a lot,” Maresca said. “His understanding of the game is completely different now.

If there is a concern for Maresca, it lies in quite how much is being expected of his vice-captain. With Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Jadon Sancho all in the midst of long goal droughts, goals from midfield are not a want but a need. With Romeo Lavia sidelined by yet another injury setback and various bits of lesser midfield cover offloaded in January, Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who had a goal of his own chalked off against Spurs for a narrow offside - are bearing huge workloads.

If there is a concern for Maresca, it is how much is expected of his vice-captain - goals from midfield are not a want but a need

Caicedo has started every league game this season and Fernandez all-but-one since winning his place back in the side, playing 90 minutes on every occasion. Both played at least a half of each leg of last month’s Conference League tie against Copenhagen as well.

“Yeah, for sure,” Maresca admitted last week, when asked whether he was having to turn to the pair more often than he would like. “When you have injuries you need to go again with the same players. In this moment, it’s not the best solution but if you have injuries you have to try and find solutions.”

With Lavia unreliable, Maresca must hope his first-choice pair remain fit from now until the end of the campaign - and, in Fernandez’s case, keep scoring, too.