With things currently on the up for the Chelsea there are growing concerns among the fanbase about the big-money midfield pairing of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo. The Argentine World Cup winner specifically is shouldering a lot of the blame but is it deserved? In this article, we will discuss the 23-year-old and his statistical decline since making the move to the Blues.
The Statistical Decline of Enzo Fernandez
Benfica Starting Point
After making the move from River Plate the midfielder only ended up playing 17 league matches for Benfica. His performances for the eventual Primeira Liga champions and his country at the World Cup earned him his massive move to England. Before making the switch just how good was Fernandez?
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He had a non-penalty goal and assists per 90 of 0.37 with six goal contributions in 17 outings and a total of 183 progressive passes in that small sample size. Fernandez was as close to a guarantee as possible when passing with a long-range completion rate of 77.9%.
Promising Start Despite Finishing 12th
Graham Potter got hold of the midfielder right at the deadline of the January transfer window and to this day is regarded as the coach to get the most out of the 23-year-old for the Blues. It’s tough to fully judge this run however, because the Blues were notably poor, failing to score often and languishing to a 12th place finish in the Premier League.
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Despite that, the midfielder showed some usefulness, ending the term with a non-penalty goal and assists per 90 of 0.19 despite operating in a wayward attack. His passing was still a useful asset with 168 progressive passes made with an eye-popping 80.4% completion rate on long passes.
It would appear that he picked up almost where he left off in Portugal, his passing statistically got even better he just didn’t have the necessary support system to make the impact on the scoresheet as often.
Full Chelsea Season
As of now, we only have one full campaign of Fernandez in blue to work with but it doesn’t paint a great picture for the midfielder. Despite having a full term to play, he only got five goal contributions in the league, one less than he did in his six months with Benfica. His non-penalty goal and assists per 90 was up to 0.33 but was still lower than his numbers in Portugal.
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He also made 210 progressive passes across the entire season, not much more than he got in almost half as many appearances in the Primeira Liga. His long passing accuracy also dipped to 71.8% from 80.4% under Potter/Frank Lampard. His medium and short passing statistics also dipped.
Despite having a full year to settle in and play in a much better team under Mauricio Pochettino, the World Cup winner found himself less effective than ever. And that is only on the ball, if we turn our attention to out-of-possession numbers then his tackling success % dropped and his interceptions per 90 were lower.
Warning Signs Under Enzo Maresca
To his credit, Fernandez played the majority of the 2023/24 term with a nagging injury which likely impacted his play. He was shut down early in order to get surgery and come back at his best. With the appointment of Enzo Maresca and a desire to implement a possession-heavy system, there was hope that the Argentine would once again find his footing at Stamford Bridge.
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So far, these hopes have proven to be unfounded. The midfielder has yet to register a single goal contribution in the league despite Chelsea being the competition’s second-highest scorers. His non-penalty goal and assists per 90 has dropped to 0.23. Even his long-passing efficiency has been hacked down to 64%, the lowest of his career to date.
Looking at the defensive side and the worrying drop in interceptions per 90. At one point in time, Fernandez was capable of almost an interception every game, this has now dropped to an all-time low of 0.35
How He Stacks Up Against the Competition
The £107 million man has the weight of the world on his shoulders. For such a hefty fee there is a demand for performance on the pitch. While we’ve already touched on the statistical decline of the midfielder, there’s some extra damning information when you look at how he compared to his competitors.
Per FBRef, over the last 355 days when compared to midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues the Argentine is in the 49th percentile for pass completion rate, the 57th percentile for assists per 90, a woeful 22nd percentile for interceptions per 90, and he ranks in the bottom half for blocks, clearances, and aerials won per 90.
There is clearly a talented player here, Blues fans saw it under Potter and the world saw it for both Argentina and Benfica, but the slow decline in performances is worth raising an eyebrow as to whether Fernandez was worth the cost after all.
