Enzo Maresca urged to drop Chelsea star: ‘It’s not working’

Enzo Maresca has been urged to consider dropping Enzo Fernandez to find a better balance within Chelsea’s midfield.

Chelsea returned to winning ways with a 2-1 win against London rivals West Ham on Monday, but the Blues are still searching for the same fluency with which they started the campaign.

Maresca’s side at one point looked like they could challenge runaway leaders Liverpool for the Premier League title, but a run of just two wins in their last eight league games has seen them fall back into the chasing pack.

While a number of players have endured spells on the treament table, the continued absence of Romeo Lavia has perhaps been the most notable over the past weeks.

The Belgian has played just 56 minutes of league football since coming off at half-time against Tottenham at the start of December and is again facing an indefinite spell on the sidelines with another muscle injury.

When fit earlier in the campaign, Lavia had displaced Fernandez in the heart of Chelsea’s midfield and looked to provide a more natural balance alongside Moises Caicedo to Maresca’s engine room.

And former Chelsea defender Paul Parker reckons the 21-year-old should be thrown straight back into the starting lineup for Fernandez upon his return to full fitness.

‘Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo don’t work together,’ Parker told CryptoCasinosUK.

‘Honestly, I would drop Fernandez and have Moises Caicedo in there with Romeo Lavia. I think that provides a much better balance.

‘I think Fernandez is too easily wound up and it can give the game away to teams. He’s got that fire in the belly which is sometimes associated with Argentinian’s.

‘Caicedo is more of a thinker but can do the dirty work as well. He’s a brilliant player.’

Parker also urged Chelsea to consider heading back into the market for a more reliable goalscorer to provide competition for Nicolas Jackson.

The Senegalese international started the season in impressive form, with six goals in his first nine league games, but is now without a goal since his winner in the 2-1 win over Brentford back in mid-December.

‘Even though Nicolas Jackson is a hard worker, I think Chelsea could upgrade on him,’ Parker added.

‘He chases everything and that is why Enzo Maresca keeps picking him for the side, but Chelsea need someone better. They need a centre forward who can take them forward to win, and someone with a bit of an edge.

‘There are so many games that Chelsea have had where they haven’t punished teams and they’re on a bad run as a result, even though they beat West Ham. I thought that they could challenge for the title this season, but that challenge has petered out a bit.

‘While Jackson is someone who can be brought on to stretch teams late in the game I think if they can get that striker position sorted, there’s a squad that can compete there.

‘Chelsea fans aren’t at Jackson because they can see how hard he tries and that he plays with his heart on his sleeve.

‘That bit of him is there and the fans respect him for it, but they need a Drogba type player if they really want to step forward in the league.’

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