Fernandez dropped by Chelsea after ‘crossing a line’
Enzo Fernandez will not be selected for Chelsea’s next two matches because of comments recently made by the midfielder.
Head coach Liam Rosenior described the comments as “disappointing” and revealed that Fernandez will not be involved in Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Port Vale or next weekend’s league game against Manchester City.
Argentina international Fernandez has suggested that he could leave Chelsea after this summer’s World Cup, fuelling reports linking him with a move to Real Madrid.
Fernandez was quoted as saying that he would be “more comfortable” in the Spanish capital.
“I spoke with Enzo about an hour ago. 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 said on Friday afternoon.
“It’s disappointing for Enzo to speak that way. I have got no bad words to say about him, but a line was crossed.
“Enzo, firstly, as a character, a person and a player, I have the utmost respect for what he has achieved and what he is as a player. He’s frustrated because he wants us to be successful.
“In terms of the decision (to drop Fernandez), it’s not all about me or the sporting directors – the ownership, the players, we are aligned in every decision that we make. It was a joint decision.
“The door is not closed on Enzo. It’s a sanction. You have to protect the culture of the club, and a line was crossed.”
Rosenior said he was also disappointed by comments made by Marc Cucurella and had spoken to him about the matter, but that the issue was “separate” from the Fernandez situation and the Blues left-back will be involved against Vale.
Spaniard Cucurella said a move to Barcelona would be “hard to turn down” amid reports linking him with the Catalan giants.
“It’s not ideal. A lot of this stems from a difficult 10 days in terms of results we have had – probably the most difficult for me as a player or manager,” admitted Rosenior, whose team have suffered four consecutive defeats and were crushed by Paris St-Germain in the Champions League.
“I’ll go back to the first game against Paris St-Germain. It all fell apart in 15 minutes and there was a huge emotional dump that fell through into the next three games.
“The players were motivated that we could do something really special in the Champions League. The comments from Enzo and Marc Cucurella’s interview both stem from that. It actually stems from a good place where they want the club to succeed.
“But in those moments, we need more emotional stability as a group of players.
“Everybody knows Marc’s character. He is passionate and he wants to do well. It was a long interview. He spoke his mind. When I was with him yesterday, I reminded him he can be honest with me. That takes time. To build those relationships, it takes time.
“Marc is fully committed. He wants to be here. He has made that very, very clear to me and he believes in where we are going.”
