Why Enzo Fernandez Isn’t Playing for Chelsea vs. Port Vale

Enzo Fernández has been the subject of controversy over the international period.

Enzo Fernández won’t feature in the FA Cup quarterfinal. | Visionhaus/Getty Images

Chelsea have the opportunity to book their place in the FA Cup semifinal on Saturday and end their four-game losing streak when they welcome Port Vale to Stamford Bridge.

The Blues are unsurprisingly projected to saunter to victory against their League One visitors, especially considering Port Vale are glued to the bottom of the table in the third tier of English football.

As pressure rises on Liam Rosenior, Chelsea require an emphatic victory over the minnows to edge towards silverware and provide some much-needed respite following a dismal run prior to the international break.

However, Chelsea will be missing one of their star performers for Saturday’s game, Enzo Fernández playing zero part in the FA Cup quarterfinal clash.

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Why Is Enzo Fernández Not Playing vs. Port Vale?

Fernández’s comments have come back to bite him. | James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images

Fernández has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons over recent weeks.

After Chelsea’s thumping aggregate defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, the Argentine cast doubt over his future with the club. “We’ll see” was his unconvincing response to questions over whether he would be representing the Blues next season.

Fernández, who has been regularly linked with a move to Real Madrid, then spent the international break flirting with the Spanish giants to further antagonize Chelsea.

“I’d like to live in Spain, I really like Madrid; it reminds me of Buenos Aires,” said the midfielder. “Players live where they want. I’d live in Madrid. I get by in English, but I’d be more comfortable in Spanish.”

Naturally, such comments went down like a lead balloon in west London, and Rosenior revealed on Friday that the decision had been taken to suspend Fernández from the next two matches for the Blues.

That means the 25-year-old will not only be absent for the quarterfinal with Port Vale, he’ll also sit out the subsequent Premier League clash with Manchester City—a fixture crucial to Chelsea’s Champions League qualification bid.

“I spoke with Enzo an hour ago,” Rosenior said during his pre-match press conference on Friday. “As a football club, with me as part of the decision, he won’t be available for tomorrow’s game or Manchester City next Sunday.”

Rosenior added: “I think a line was crossed in terms of our culture and what we want to build. So we had to make a sanction and that was a decision we’ve made.”

Fernández was not the only player in trouble for speaking a little too honestly to the media over the international period. Marc Cucurella criticized the club’s transfer policy and questioned their decision to fire former manager Enzo Maresca, but he has avoided any punishment from the club.

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