Enzo Fernandez: Chelsea’s worst-ever captain?

On December 30^th, Chelsea lost ground at the top of the Premier League after losing to Ipswich Town to a controversial penalty scored by Liam Delap. Captain Enzo Fernandez had to be held back by players after losing his head at the referee for the decision. He also slapped Sammie Szmodics in the face.

It wasn't a good night for Chelsea, which fell ten points behind leaders Liverpool, and it wasn't a good night for Fernandez, who again proved why he shouldn't be Chelsea's captain because of his attitude.

The decision to give Fernandez the captain's armband is unanswerable, as it comes just months after the Argentinian midfielder posted a video containing an alleged racist chant.

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The 23-year-old, who took a knee before kick-off in part of the Premier League's anti-discrimination campaign, was forced to apologise after uploading a video that mocked the heritage of some of France's players after Argentina won the Copa America.

Chelsea teammate Wesley Fofana (from France) labelled the video "uninhibited racism" but has since claimed Fernandez is not racist and accepted his apology, according to ESPN.

According to The Independent, Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca was quick to defend the midfielder: "I can see his teammates recognise him like a captain. He is already a captain in pre-season. When we make a mistake, it is important to recognise it. Enzo did, and, in the end, it is finished."

A successful captain must embody what the club is about in all aspects, from the community to how the team plays on the pitch. Chelsea is a club that has done a lot of work around anti-racism in the last 20 years, and the Fernandez captaincy doesn't embody that spirit.

The Chelsea kit that Fernandez captained the side in against Manchester City features "a distinctive 'melting pot' pattern", that represents "the dynamic culture of London" and the club's "passionate, diverse global community."

Former Chelsea captain and club legend John Terry optimized what it meant to be a Chelsea player on the pitch, running through brick walls and taking responsibility for the team. However, Fernandez has been quite the opposite, as Gary Neville noticed yesterday.

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Neville hammered the £107 million ($139m/€125m) man with the same criticism that he gave Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, having spoken on Fernandez's poor attitude and arm waving when things don't go his way.

According to Football London, Neville said: "Enzo Fernandez presses when he can't win it a lot. He then throws up his arms to his teammates as if to say, 'Where were you?' He is not kidding anyone."

His poor attitude and lack of discipline are summed up perfectly by his stats in the Premier League since joining Chelsea at the start of 2023, having picked up the same number of yellow cards (12) as goals and assists combined (12).

Six goals and six assists in two years for Chelsea is poor reading anyway. However, for a player who cost £107 million ($139m/€125m), it shows he hasn't been good enough and shouldn't be the leader of the team.

With the controversy Fernandez has created and his return on investment being extremely low, is the midfielder Chelsea's worst-ever captain?

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