Arriving in the Premier League with a sky-high transfer fee of €121 million, Enzo Fernandez's every move has been put under a magnifying glass. Because he lost the ball after being eaten raw by Adeyemi, the talk of "parallel goods" was noisy.
In fact, since Enzo arrived in the Premier League, he was the only Chelsea player to play every minute, and the team's only goal in the last four games came from Enzo's assist.
01. This year has changed so fast! Transfer fees range from €10 million to €120 million
a. 2022 is a year of his personal transformation
Born on January 17, 2001 and debuting in the youth academy of Argentine giants River Plate, Enzo made his debut in the Argentine Super League at the age of 19 when he was loaned to the National Defense Club.
After helping his team win the 2020-21 South American Cup Winners' Cup, he was given the chance to return to River Plate while helping the team win the 2021 Argentine Super Liga title.
Even so, the 21-year-old young midfielder arrived in Europe in the summer of 2022 for a fixed transfer fee of just €10 million (River Plate ended up receiving €44.25 million for retaining the second transfer share and floating bonus).
However, in just a few months, Enzo has gone from being a nobody, a nobody, to a Champions League supernova--- World Cup best newcomer--- Premier League champion.
b. The 121 million transfer fee brings a magnifying glass: Enzo is actually doing well
Chelsea spent €331 million bolstering the team in the winter window, but struggled to win. Enzo, who cost the team 121 million euros, became the target of everyone.
Especially in the knockout match of the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund, Enzo Fernandez, who became the last defender because of his active retreat, failed to limit Adeyemi's starting speed in a huge space and became a backdrop for conceding goals, which made him criticized.
Enzo still seems inexperienced when the depth space is too large, and it is normal for the central midfielder and winger to fall behind in speed. His biggest mistake was a pause after seeing the goalkeeper make a comeback, losing a chance to remedy.
Because of a ball, Enzo has been criticized by many people as a "parallel product". They even forget that the Argentine midfielder, who made his Premier League debut, was Chelsea's highest-rated player after the game.
Even in his second Premier League appearance, he successfully received assists, and Enzo was directly selected as the best 11 men in the Premier League of the year.
He has played four games for Chelsea so far, including one Champions League and three Premier League games, and is arguably the best player in the team.
02. Enzo is alive at his feet: his offensive prowess is underestimated
a. Whether it's a single back or a double back: it limits Enzo's play
From being placed in the single back of the 433 formation when he first joined the team, to the subsequent change of 4231, Enzo was put on the role of double back defense, which was actually not conducive to his play.
Although Enzo's defensive stats are outstanding, he can do more on the offensive end and is still limited by the position of the pitch.
Enzo's move to get rid of and change direction when possessing the ball is quite good, and this time he dodged defenders in a row, which is a good example.
More importantly, Enzo has the ability to make continuous movements after dribbling over or stealing the ball, and the instant straight ball is of high quality. This time it was a pity to meet the veteran Azpilicueta, who started too slowly and lived up to Enzo's beautiful straight stuffing.
Enzo's speed isn't that fast, but he's always calm when faced with presses. Find space to advance by changing direction under your feet.
At the same time, he can observe the position of his teammates in the dribbling and deliver a good quality straight ball, but unfortunately his teammates seem to use Enzo's passing inefficiently, and this time Sterling's attempt to accelerate after receiving the ball was destroyed.
b. Enzo is more suitable for playing in midfield: the last pass and long-range shot are strong
As you can see from the stadium heatmap, Enzo is highlighted at the back and has a strong presence in the center circle. In addition, he is fully capable of going directly into the 30-meter area of the front court to complete the pass, but the current tactical positioning limits him.
Perhaps Chelsea are very dependent on Enzo's contribution in defence,
Enzo has the air of Busquets in the handling of certain balls. After breaking the ball, he immediately observed the position of his teammates and sent a wonderful pass to the vacant Ziyech.
Unfortunately, Chelsea's team-mates really did not make a good performance. Straight into the box, the last shot is stunning.
In the second game of the Premier League, facing the powerful West Ham United, Enzo first split the flank Cucurella, and then took the ball in the middle without stopping, and sent a Messi-level overhead ball on the spot to assist Felix to score.
The difficulty of the ball lies in the combination of catching, observing and powering, which most midfielders cannot do, and Enzo's creativity and passing ability in front of the box are already first-class.
Enzo also has a beautiful long-range shot, who has played three games since arriving in the Premier League and has already had several shots close to goal.
Especially this time, the ultra-long-range shot was impressive.
03. King of Steals! The 22-year-old Enzo has suffered a bit in terms of Premier League power
a. Amazing defensive stats: he's the king of steals in the Premier League
After playing three games in the Premier League, Enzo contributed 4.3 tackles, two interceptions, one tackle and 0.7 blocked shots per game.
Averaging 8 successful defenses per game, such amazing defensive statistics can be described as unparalleled in the Premier League.
Enzo's tackle area covers a large area, extending from the front of the opponent's penalty area to the front of the own penalty area.
This time he broke the ball after Paqueta and a lateral deflection straight shot. In the core area, Enzo's quick handling of the ball and good power are his strengths.
Enzo has a strong burst of power and continuous movement during the game. This time, he singled out two players in one go, completed a successive wave of three upper-grabs, and finally destroyed the ball off the touchline.
Let's look at this wave of defense, after Sterling was cut off the ball, Enzo posted it for the first time, constantly blocking the opponent's counterattack momentum, and controlling the ball to his feet through continuous pressing.
After taking the ball, Enzo was calm, using his body to protect the ball, forcing his opponent to foul and win a free kick in front.
b. Absolute speed and static force are disadvantages
However, this does not mean that Enzo is flawless, and at nearly 1.8 meters tall, as a midfielder, he still has a disadvantage in terms of static power and absolute speed.
Especially if he is not fast enough, if he drags himself alone, he will suffer more against wingers or speed forwards.
Not only was Adeyemi raw in the Champions League, but this time against Southampton striker Armstrong, Enzo's disadvantage in speed is also very obvious.
Fortunately, there was central defender Fofana behind him, and after the former's successful confrontation, Enzo received the ball at his feet.
Enzo's strength is not bad, especially his instantaneous power is very good. However, pure power competition at static times is still slightly insufficient.
Against Southampton midfielder Lavia, the black player's flexibility and bounce were good, and Enzo was teased by the opposing side. Fortunately, he had a very good sense of responsibility and chased back into his own penalty area from the front court to complete the key relief.
This time it was Enzo who went straight to Felix, who missed the ball and Southampton countered Enzo's attempt to make a grab, only to be headed over by Lavia.
In absolute strength, Enzo is not superior, so he mainly relies on the advantage of his feet. There is still a certain failure rate in pure power competitions, and it is best to play as a central midfielder, leaving a back behind him who can help him, or a more flexible central defender teammate like Fufana.
Conclusion:
The transfer fee of 121 million euros will become a tight curse on Enzo's growth path. There is no need to question his talent and ability, but it is not easy for a player to play hundreds of millions of dollars.
This is the frustration of the king players, but it is not their fault. At least Enzo has the ability and potential. Over time, as long as he stays away from injury, he will surely be able to grow into a top three midfielder in the world.