When Chelsea plays Arsenal at home in the Premier League this weekend, manager Enzo Maresca must make a lot of important decisions. The Blues have a fantastic chance to create an impression with Mikel Arteta’s team during a difficult run in which they have lost three of their past four road games.
The two London clubs are tied for 18 points in the Premier League standings after their away draw against Manchester United and the Gunners’ loss at Newcastle, although Chelsea has a better goal differential. Maresca’s team might move up to third place if they win at home for the third time in a row in all competitions.
Chelsea’s peripheral players defeated Armenian team Noah 8-0 in the Conference League on Thursday night, just over seven days after they were eliminated from the Carabao Cup. Among the goal scorers were Christopher Nkunku, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Joao Felix, all of whom were vying for a spot in the starting lineup.
All three strikers will be competing for a key position on Sunday, as there are questions regarding Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho’s availability for Arsenal. Nkunku, who was substituted with 11 minutes remaining while the other two stayed on, looks set to earn his first Premier League start in months if Palmer is unable to recover from a knee injury.
On the other hand, considering the task at hand, Maresca might choose to play more defensively, like he did when Manchester City visited on the first day of the season. Enzo Fernandez might therefore be used in conjunction with Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo.
In addition to providing more midfield security, the Argentine can also contribute in the attacking third, as demonstrated against Noah. Although he was removed at halftime, Fernandez recorded three assists as the Blues jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first half.
“He’s fine,” Maresca responded when asked if it was due to an injury. It was merely a technical choice. He is fine, nothing more.” Given that the game was already over, Fernandez might have been rested, with Maresca hoping to give him a lot of playing time this weekend.
Although it would be surprising, the Chelsea manager may consider replacing Palmer with Fernandez if he is judged unavailable. Given how good Caicedo has been in the deep-lying position, Maresca might start to favour Fernandez against specific clubs in the future.
Fernandez would be extremely beneficial to Maresca if he could play alongside the Ecuadorian international and in a more advanced role. As a result, he might start more often, at Lavia’s expense.
