Former Premier League midfielder Jamie O’Hara has been critical of some Chelsea players after their performance against Crystal Palace.
The match ended 1-1 with Nicolas Jackson scoring for the hosts and Eberechi Eze scoring for the visitors.
It was a match that the Blues could have won if Jackson had taken his chances well but it showed once again that Chelsea are inconsistent and their growth under Enzo Maresca will take a long time.
O’Hara was particularly critical of Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who has failed to live up to the expectations of the fans and the pundits after his big money move to Stamford Bridge.
Speaking on Sky Sports (01/09/2024 at 15:45), O Hara said, as quoted by The Chelsea Chronicle:
“I am not having Enzo Fernandez. I am not having him. I don’t think he is good enough.
“They paid a lot of money for him, £100 million, they have made him the captain of the football club. I don’t think he deserves to play in midfield. Lavia is a better player.”
Fernandez will always be judged differently because of his massive price tag.
He joined after a successful World Cup campaign with Argentina and his stocks were high but after Chelsea performing poorly and Fernandez finding it difficult to show his best performance, the criticism has not stopped.
Chelsea midfielder has to take more responsibility
It remains to be seen how the midfielder progresses under new manager Enzo Maresca.
These are still early days and only three matches have been played this season, so it is a bit premature to make judgements.
Fernandez has a long way to go to win over the fans and the critics with his performances.
At times, the poor results of the team bring unnecessary criticism on the players and O’Hara’s comments on Fernandez might be harsh but the player has to do much better than what he is doing at the moment.
Chelsea F.C. really have to wake up from the long sleep they have had for the past 3 and now 4 Seasons as the season is best made competitive right from the beginning of the season. Enzo Fernandez is the player Chelsea have to put an eagle eye on this season. He is not doing enough or not just good enough. I sometimes wonder how the coach fails to see this even while the game is on. I had said this before and stand with Jamie O’Hara on this. The Defenders CB’s particularly Colwill and Badiashile hangs on the Ball way too long even when they are either loosing the game or sharing points. The team has to be ambitious or desire to win every game and not be relaxed or show no aggressive response during games. The coach seems too timid and fails to ask this things from the players who are professionals at this. They are not direct most time of the games. The fans see this too. You only have 90 minutes to give your all and then go home satisfied as the result is good and fans happy too.