Former Chelsea midfielder and assistant manager Jody Morris has offered some advice to current star Enzo Fernandez as to how to break back into the Blues' first-team.
Fernandez had been a nailed on starter for Chelsea in the early etchings of this season, but in recent weeks has been dropped by manager Enzo Maresca in favour of Romeo Lavia.
In Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Sunday, Lavia again started in central midfield alongside Moises Caicedo, however Fernandez came off the bench to provide the all-important assist for Pedro Neto's equaliser.
Speaking on TalkSPORT's Inside Chelsea podcast, Morris, who began his career at Stamford Bridge and went on to make 173 appearances for the Blues, explained that Fernandez needs to keep doing more of the same if he wants to regain his starting spot for Maresca's side.
"Ultimately, [Fernandez] is at a football club that has a lot of players, a very big squad," he said. "Your best way to deal with it is do what you done at the weekend – come on and affect the game."
"The more and more you do that, the more a manager is going to want to choose you and pick you, whether it's for certain games or whether he's going to leave somebody out," he added. "That's the best way you can answer any of the critics."
Morris said that to break back into Maresca's team, Fernandez will have to keep making an impact from off the bench for "four or five games."
"That's what being at a big football club is," he said.
Morris likes Caicedo and Lavia's partnership
While Morris was impressed with Fernandez's impact against Arsenal, he also understands why Maresca has dropped the Argentine for Lavia.
"I feel that Lavia offers a bit of steeliness," Morris said. "He can carry the ball very well, a lot better than an Enzo can. So you may look at Enzo and think that he can maybe pick a pass, but there’s different ways in which you can break down presses, or you can open up teams."
Morris said that he's enjoying the partnership between Lavia and Caicedo, and believes that the Belgium international, who Chelsea paid Southampton £58 million for last summer, brings the best out of his Ecuadorian counterpart.
"I’m loving that partnership," he said. "Particularly because we’ve missed Lavia for so long, and his injuries and then you’re seeing the best of Caicedo now when them two play together.”
Maresca also loves Lavia and Caicedo together.
Speaking to the press earlier this month, the Italian coach said: "Romeo and Moi give us physicality and strength in the middle."
"When we play with Enzo it has to be with one of Moi or Romeo, and Enzo moves forward we struggle in the middle for physicality," he added.
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