Enzo Fernandez stopped Chelsea star from taking the penalty off Cole Palmer in 2-2 draw with Arsenal
Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez stepped in to resolve an argument between teammates Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer during their game against Arsenal on Saturday, October 21. Sterling and Palmer seemed to get into a heated argument as both wanted to take the Blues' first-half penalty against the Gunners.
The penalty was awarded to Chelsea after William Saliba was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the box. Sterling and Palmer both wanted to take the penalty but Enzo Fernandez intervened and seemed to make the final call, asking for the latter to be handed the responsibility.
Palmer calmly slotted from the spot to give Chelsea the lead and Sterling joined in the celebrations to suggest there's no bad blood between the players.
Enzo Fernandez's role as a leader at Chelsea becoming more obvious
Reece James is currently the captain of Chelsea. But during his spell on the sidelines earlier in the season due to a hamstring injury, the Blues' manager Mauricio Pochettino decided to give the captain's armband to Conor Gallagher.
It came as a bit of a surprise because Gallagher was reportedly put on sale during the summer.
The experienced Thiago Silva was still a regular in the starting XI. The question of whether the armband should be given to him or to the young Fernandez was also thrown at Pochettino during a pre-match press conference on September 23.
The Argentinian coach responded by mentioning the values he wants to see in his captain and revealed that a good command over the Engish language is a pre-requisite for the same. He said:
"Thiago is an experienced player that doesn’t need the armband. Then I think it’s important to build something for the future. Not only the present but the future. He is there and the captain is not only to put the armband on your arm.
"To clarify, I think maybe it was Thiago to give it to Enzo but Enzo is still struggling with his English. If we need to communicate with the referee and everything I think Conor can perfectly do the job and for me I prefer Conor than Enzo because I think Conor can speak normally, English."
Pochettino added:
"I think Enzo is still not ready to be a captain. It is not only because of character or personality or profile. It’s about you need to communicate with the people and if you don’t manage still the language properly you cannot be captain no? I don’t know. Maybe I’m wrong but it’s my opinion."
But from the goings-on on the pitch and especially after Saturday's situation between Sterling and Palmer, it is becoming rather obvious that Fernandez is definitely one of Chelsea's leaders.
From the way Sterling heeded the Argentinian midfielder's call, it is clear that the World Cup winner has considerable sway over his teammates.