Frank Leboeuf has identified Enzo Fernandez as Chelsea’s worst performer in their 2-0 loss to Manchester City on Sunday, saying he wasn’t “ready to fight.”
The Blues were defeated by Pep Guardiola’s champions at Stamford Bridge in their first match of the 2024-25 Premier League season, which was also Enzo Maresca’s debut as manager.
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Marc Cucurella delivered a strong performance, but the rest of the Chelsea squad appeared very lackluster, with captain Fernandez particularly struggling against City.
Fernandez, who joined Chelsea in a £106.8m transfer in January 2023, disappointed defensively and was too easily bypassed in midfield.
“I found Enzo Fernandez the poorest in that game,” former Chelsea defender Leboeuf told ESPN.
“He is the skipper. He has to set an example. I didn’t feel he was sharp or ready to fight.
“They are still trying stuff… I can feel something is getting better at Chelsea. But at the end of the day, if you can’t score goals, because you don’t have a striker, that is a big problem.”
This summer, Fernandez was accused of “uninhibited racism” by his teammate Wesley Fofana.
This accusation followed a video Fernandez posted on social media after Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Colombia in the Copa America final on July 14.
The clip showed Argentina’s players singing a derogatory song about France’s black players, but Fofana later confirmed that Fernandez had apologized, and they have moved past the incident.
“I trust him because I know him,” Fofana said at Chelsea’s pre-season training camp in the United States.
“I know he is not racist. The act… I felt a little bit upset. But now, it is done. It is finished.
“I hope this has educated him a bit, because for sure, it is a different culture. We need to educate about this because cultures are different, a lot of countries.”
