Mikel Obi Criticises Enzo Fernandez’s Performance in Chelsea’s Loss to Man City

Mikel Obi Criticises Enzo Fernandez’s Performance in Chelsea’s Loss to Man City

  • Chelsea were defeated 2-0 by Manchester City in their opening-day English Premier League fixture
  • The Blues rued missed chances in front of goal and a very lacklustre midfield performance from their players
  • Nigerian midfield Legend John Obi Mikel has singled out one player for criticism during the defeat

John Obi Mikel has reignited his ‘feud’ with Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez after the team lost 2-0 to Manchester City in their opening Premier League fixture.

Enzo has been under the spotlight after filming his Argentina teammates chanting a racist song towards the France national team after their Copa America victory.

Enzo Fernandez looks dejected during Chelsea's 2-0 loss to Manchester City.
Enzo Fernandez captained Chelsea to a 2-0 loss to Manchester City. Photo by Catherine Ivill.
Source: Getty Images

The club dealt with the situation internally, and the player apologised publicly and to the French players in the squad, including Axel Disasi and Wesley Fofana.

He was named the captain for the opening game in the absence of Reece James, Ben Chilwell and Conor Gallagher, all of whom are ahead of him in the leadership group.

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Mikel slams Enzo Fernandez

Chelsea legend Mikel Obi, in recent weeks, has piled on the Argentina midfielder over his off-field conduct and performances for the team last season.

During Mikel's review of the club's opening fixture of the season on the Obi One Podcast, he singled out the player who captained the team once again.

“It comes down to the manager being bold enough to make a decision,” he said about Enzo captaining the team.

He said the £106.7mil signing should not have completed the match and should have been hauled off earlier.

“It's not because you've given him the captain armband for the day you can't take him off. He was having a bad day, everybody could see that, even he could see that, and he [Enzo Maresca] should have taken him off.”

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“Lavia had a good game, Caicedo was not at his best but was involved, breaking up plays and trying to make sure that he does his job, so among the three Enzo should have been taken off,” he added.

Mikel slams Sterling's statement

Enzo Fernandez was not the only Chelsea player to receive criticism from Mikel. As Legit.ng reported, the Nigerian slammed Raheem Sterling after his team released a statement an hour before the game.

Sterling was left out of the matchday squad, and the club was ready to let him go, but his representative claimed their client was committed to fulfilling his contract.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Elijah Odetokun avatar

Elijah Odetokun (Sports Editor) Elijah Odetokun is a Nigerian sports editor at Legit NG. He has four years of working experience having previously worked at Daily Times Nigeria (August 2020 - September 2020), OmaSports (December 2020 - June 2021), El Futbolero (July 2021; September 2021- November 2021), and Sports Brief (November 2022 - July 2024). He is a press conference and interview specialist and has attended trainings held by Reuters, AIPS, and FIJ. He holds a Bachelor of Agriculture (2021) from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. Reach me via elijah.odetokun@sportsbrief.com