Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea lost to defending champions Manchester City, in their league opener on Sunday, and this has caused backlash from fans, with one player being scapegoated for the defeat.
Enzo Fernandez, who was recently involved in a racism scandal, has been singled out as the patsy for the Blues’ opening matchday loss.
The Argentine midfielder had about two opportunities to get the shot away but failed to make an attempt due to his poor control.
While a faction of the fans maintained that the Blues’ should have gotten a penalty in one of the instances, as City defender, Manuel Akanji had nudged Fernadez off the ball, some believe the midfielder should have done better with his ball control.
The Blues manager, Enzo Maresca also got a share of the blame for his team selection and tactics.
Enzo Maresca’s Raheem Sterling-less squad featured Fernandez in the attacking midfield role instead of his natural central midfield position, drawing criticism from fans who claimed the new boss was repeating the same mistake Mauricio Pochettino made last season.
The Chelsea boss’ decision to select Fernandez as the captain also did not go down well with the Blues’ faithful.
Fans single out Fernandez, while Enzo Maresca also shares blame
The game, where Erling Haaland finally got his revenge on Marc Cucurella, ended in a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea, and fans have blamed Fernandez and the manager for the loss.
Supporters flooded social media with comments to express their displeasure.
One wrote, ”Two good opportunities, and he couldn’t even make an attempt.. Is this guy really worth his price tag??”
Another responded, ”It’s more likely they recognise him for the 100m fraud he is.”
Other fans who had reservations about the manager’s decision also aired their thoughts.
A user wrote, ”Enzo is not even an attacking midfielder. Why use him there?”
Another concerned fan lamented, ”The guy is making the same mistake pochetino did putting all three defensive midfielders on the pitch if this continues then we’re going to be relegated I promise you.”
A third tweep wrote, ‘‘His first major mistake making Enzo captain.”
