Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca expressed confidence that the squad fully supports Enzo Fernandez following the team’s pre-season friendly defeat to Real Madrid.
Los Blancos emerged victorious with a 2-1 win, thanks to goals from Dani Ceballos and Brahim Diaz.
Noni Madueke scored a consolation goal for Chelsea, with all three goals coming before halftime.
Fernandez took on the captain’s armband for the final 20 minutes of the match after Reece James was substituted for Wesley Fofana.
Maresca views this as a clear indication that the squad has moved past the controversies of the summer.
In July, Fernandez had apologized for posting a video on social media that showed Argentina players singing what was deemed a “racially offensive and discriminatory” chant following their Copa America victory.
Chelsea teammate Fofana had referred to the incident as “uninhibited racism.”
When asked whether Fernandez was now the vice-captain, Maresca responded: “Enzo is one of the important players.
“To be honest, I think Reece [James] when we changed him, he gave the armband to Enzo.
“This shows how Enzo is respected inside the squad. I think it’s quite clear.”
Maresca added: “For me, he played a very good game.
“We are trying to use him as an attacking midfielder and a striker, depending on the moment.
“Also, we are using him as a striker today because Marc [Guiu] was tired at the end. It’s normal but overall, the important thing for Christo, we are able to contact with him between the lines.
“Today we contact with Christo and Enzo [Fernandez] many, many times between the lines.
“This is the most important thing, to arrive there, and with time we will take chances and score more goals.”
One of the key issues the Italian manager will address is Chelsea’s high defensive line, which led to a high number of goals conceded during their tour of the United States.
The Blues allowed two goals against Wrexham and then suffered defeats with 4-1 and 4-2 scorelines against Celtic and Manchester City, respectively.
“It’s a habit,” Maresca explained.
“We are not working on defensive lines so high. It’s a habit from last year, or years ago; I don’t know.
“We are trying to drop the defensive line a little bit, usually about four or five metres, just to have some advantage.
“Last year, we already conceded many goals with this problem. Hopefully we can solve it very soon.
“It’s a problem we are trying to solve from pre-season, since day one.
“One of my first meetings with the squad was about the amount of goals we conceded last year with the defensive line very high.
“It’s something we are trying to work on.
“Today, offensively, we are there – the patterns are there. We created chances.
“The problem is defensively; when I say defensively, I don’t just mean the defensive line, but in general, all the players.”
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