Chelsea vice-captain Enzo Fernandez has been dropped for his side’s games against Port Vale and Manchester City following comments made which appeared to cast doubt on his future at the club.
Liam Rosenior’s side host Port Vale of League One in Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final tie before playing Manchester City in the Premier League eight days later, on April 12.
The Chelsea head coach confirmed his decision during a press conference on Friday, stating Fernandez had “crossed the line” with his comments.
“I spoke with Enzo an hour ago,” Rosenior said. “As a football club, with me as part of that process, we’ve made a decision. He won’t be available for tomorrow’s game and he won’t be available for Manchester City next Sunday. I think for Enzo, it’s disappointing to speak in that way.”
Following Rosenior’s press conference, Fernandez’s agent Javier Pastore told The Athletic the sanction was “unfair”, and said the midfielder would explore his options after the World Cup if he and Chelsea had not reached an agreement over new contract terms.
Marc Cucurella, meanwhile, is being considered as a separate case and will be available for selection. The Spain left-back, in an interview with The Athletic, said Chelsea have “paid the price” for a lack of experience in their squad.
What did Fernandez say?
Last month, Fernandez cast doubt on his future at the club following their 8-2 aggregate defeat by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
“I don’t know — right now, I’m thinking here,” the Argentina international, who has 12 goals in 46 Chelsea appearances this term, said on his future. “There are eight games left (in the Premier League) and the FA Cup and then there’s the World Cup and then we’ll see, we’ll see.”
In a separate interview with broadcaster TUDN, the 25-year-old said he “did not understand” Chelsea’s decision to part ways with previous head coach Enzo Maresca, who was replaced by Liam Rosenior in January.
“Obviously it’s a departure that hurt us a lot because we had an identity, he had given us an order, beyond how football sometimes gives you good or bad results.
“Enzo always had a very clear identity when it came to training, playing, and obviously it hurt us a lot his departure, moreover in the middle of the season.”
After his post-match PSG remarks on March 17, Fernandez played the full 90 minutes of Chelsea’s defeat to Everton on April 21, captaining the side. However, he then spoke to Argentine media during the international break.
Speaking to broadcaster Luzu TV during the international break, Fernandez was asked which European city he would like to live in if he could choose, and he replied: “I always tell my wife if you tell me to choose a city in Europe to live in, I really like Madrid because it’s very similar to Buenos Aires – the life, everything…”
Asked if there was a player he particularly hated marking, Fernandez replied: “As I play in that same position, I always try to keep an eye on the midfielders when I’m up against them and so on… Toni Kroos. We played Chelsea and Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, and to be honest, both he and Modric… That year they won the Champions League. They beat us in the quarter-finals, I think – yes, the quarter-finals. And yes, that’s it, they’re incredibly talented.”
The midfielder’s contract at Stamford Bridge runs through until the summer of 2032. He recently switched representatives to a new agency featuring compatriot and former PSG attacking midfielder Javier Pastore.
How has Rosenior reacted?
“I spoke with Enzo an hour ago,” Rosenior said at his press conference on Friday.
“As a football club, with me as part of that process, we’ve made a decision. He won’t be available for tomorrow’s game and he won’t be available for Manchester City next Sunday. I think for Enzo, it’s disappointing to speak in that way.
“What I will say about Enzo is in terms of him as a character, as a person, I’ve got no bad words to say about him, but I think a line was crossed in terms of our culture and what we want to build. So we had to make a sanction.”
Asked how disruptive the situation was, Rosenior replied: “It’s not ideal. We had a really, really difficult ten days, probably the most difficult ten days of my career as a player or a coach.
Rosenior said Fernandez “crossed a line” with his remarks (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
“I’ll go back to the first game against PSG. The belief in the group and what we were doing, the performance was top and it all fell apart in 15 minutes and there was a huge emotional dump from that game, which I think fell through to the next three games that we played.
“Why was there such a big emotional dump? Because the players were so motivated and had so much belief that we could do something really special in the Champions League this year. I feel like not just the comments from Enzo, but Cucu’s interview as well, stems from that.
“It actually stems from a good place where they want to do well, they want the club to succeed, but in those moments, I think we need more emotional stability as a group of players, from me as the head coach, as a football club, so that we don’t respond in the way we have done to the setbacks we’ve had.”
Rosenior insisted the “door was not closed” on Fernandez returning to the team.
“We are aligned in every decision that we make,” he continued. “So it was a joint decision. And saying that the door is not closed on Enzo, that’s very important.
“It’s a sanction. You have to protect, especially this football club, it’s a winning football club with traditions of success. You have to protect that culture.
“And I think in terms of that, the line was crossed in the international break.”
Fernandez recently switched agents and is now represented by a new agency featuring compatriot and former PSG attacking midfielder Pastore.
Pastore told The Athletic Fernandez’s comments during the international break were not intended to disrespect the club.
“Enzo didn’t understand the situation,” Pastore said. “When the coach told him, he accepted it because he’s a highly professional guy who’s always fully committed wherever he is and respects decisions, but we don’t understand the punishment because he doesn’t mention any club or say he wants to leave Chelsea, far from it.
“He only mentions Madrid, the city, because he was asked which European city he’d like to live in one day, and he said Madrid because of the language, because it’s similar to Buenos Aires and because it’s logical – it’s only natural for an Argentine to say that – and also because of the culture, the weather… But at no point does he say he wants to leave Chelsea or London.”
What about Cucurella?
Chelsea left-back Cucurella, like Fernandez, questioned the club’s decision to part company with Maresca. “The moment Maresca left, it had a big impact on us,” the 27-year-old said. “These are decisions taken by the club. If you asked me, I would not have made this decision.”
Rosenior has said he had a “fantastic” half-hour conversation with the former Brighton & Hove Albion defender on Thursday.
“I’ve told players if they’ve got any issue with how we do things to come and speak to me and speak to the sporting directors,” Rosenior said.
“My disappointment in Marc’s interview is where it went to. I think he should have spoken to us first about the things that he’s feeling. I want players to feel that they can speak openly and honestly for the benefit of the football club.”
Chelsea have lost their last four games across all competitions, with the heavy aggregate defeat to PSG coming either side of Premier League defeats to Newcastle United and Everton.
Rosenior’s side are sixth in the Premier League, with just one victory in their last six matches.