"If I were you I would have stayed at Benfica" - Argentina fan jokes with Enzo Fernandez about Chelsea's recent poor form
An Argentina fan has made light of Chelsea's poor form in recent times during a meeting with Enzo Fernandez. The supporter joked that the midfielder should've stayed at his former club.
The Blues secured Fernandez's services from Benfica in January 2023 for a reported £106.8 million fee. The Argentina international joined the club at a time of transition after Todd Boehly's takeover the previous summer.
Chelsea have struggled to maintain consistency and have been far from their best under the new ownership. The Blues finished 12th in the table during the 2022-23 Premier League campaign, seeing three different managers at the helm.
The west Londoners fired Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter during the season before appointing Mauricio Pochettino last summer. They initially struggled under the Argentine and remained mid-table for the majority of last season.
However, a turnaround in form in the final games saw Chelsea secure a sixth-placed finish and European football. However, Pochettino was sacked and the Blues appointed Enzo Maresca as manager ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.
Argentina stars Enzo Fernandez, Julian Alvarez, and Exequiel Palacios met with a fan, Juancito. During the interaction, Juancito took an amusing dig at Chelsea and their recent struggles.
He said (via Albiceleste talk):
"Chelsea is going through a bad moment. If I were you, I would have stayed at Benfica."
Fernandez laughed, then replied:
"No, but I couldn't stay at Benfica."
Fernandez has registered 62 appearances for the Blues since his arrival, contributing seven goals and five assists.
Lionel Messi reveals what he told Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez after deflected goal in Argentina's win over Canada
Lionel Messi told Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez that he didn't intend to take away his goal in Argentina's win over Canada in the Copa America semi-final.
La Albiceleste secured a 2-0 victory over the Canadians at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Julian Alvarez opened the scoring for his side with an excellent finish in the 22nd minute.
During the second half, Fernandez got the ball inside the box after an attempted clearance from Canada midfielder Ismael Kone landed at his feet. The midfielder took a strike that was on target but was deflected by Lionel Messi before reaching the back of the net.
As a result, the Barcelona legend got his name on the scoresheet. Messi has now opened up about a conversation he had with Fernandez regarding the goal. He said (via ESPN):
"I told Enzo that it wasn't my intention to take the goal away from him. I saw that the goalkeeper had just fallen and the ball was coming slowly. I deflected it a little because the goalkeeper almost saved it away from me too. The important thing is that it counted, and we were able to make it 2-0, which gave us peace of mind."