Chelsea Ready With a Formidable Midfield

Moments after superbly putting Chelsea ahead against Fulham at Craven Cottage, a beaming Mykhailo Mudryk slid on his knees towards the corner flag, revelling in his first goal for the club and waiting to be mobbed by several of his jubilant team-mates.

Enzo Fernandez was not one of them. Replays showed that, as Mudryk wheeled away in front of the Fulham fans, the Argentina international instead turned his back, crouched, and waited with a broad grin for Moises Caicedo to run into his outstretched arms.


It was a small, wholesome moment noticed by many supporters and one that underlined the genuine warmth that has quickly developed between Chelsea’s two British transfer record-breaking signings.


In convincing away Premier Leaguewins over Fulham and Burnley, it has become clear that Chelsea’s lavishly expensive midfield is beginning to click into a higher gear. Fernandez and Caicedo have shone, both in combination and alongside Conor Gallagher, the on-field captain who complements their respective strengths excellently.

The tactical tweaks to the team’s structure made by head coach Mauricio Pochettino have also facilitated this process and Chelsea now head into a daunting run of games after the October international break with a midfield that is becoming a serious problem for opponents in and out of possession. But how does it work?

Let’s take a closer look…
With the ball

Fernandez’s career at Chelsea to date has been a quest to find the individual role that maximises everything he does well and a broader midfield structure that makes sense around him. His first six months at Stamford Bridge were largely spent confined to the No 6 position as Jorginho’s direct replacement while, at times in the early weeks of this season, he found himself playing almost as a No 10 — too high up the pitch to exert consistent control over matches.


Pochettino’s solution has been to give Fernandez almost total freedom to roam the pitch and progress the ball, with Caicedo generally behind him and Gallagher ahead of him against Fulham and Burnley. It is something he does exceptionally well; only Kieran Trippier and Bruno Fernandescan better his 50 progressive passes from the 2023-24 Premier League season to date.