Chelsea misstep by Enzo Fernández: they lost against Dortmund and will have to return from the series to continue in the Champions League

Without as much presence as in his first two presentations, but with participation in two key plays. The debut of Enzo Fernández with the shirt of Chelsea In the Champions League left him with a rant: first because he couldn’t stop the huge rush of Karim Adeyemiwhich scored a great goal for him 1-0 of the Borussia Dortmund in Germany; and then because in the last one the Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel he picked up the right hand that could have meant the draw, which he deserved in development.

In front of a packed stadium, Dortmund asserted their locality. The team led by Edin Terzic proved to be a more industrious team and, even if they didn’t have much fun at times, they managed to achieve a result that brings them one step closer to their goal: qualification for the quarter-finals.

Dortmund started with possession and, while they have been noted to be a hardworking side, could not specify the chances they generated as the minutes wore on. For their part, Chelsea fell back, had patience in recovering and took advantage of the speed of Joao Félix -he hit the crossbar- and Mudryk to hurt the German team. A fundamental factor of the Blues was Enzo Fernándezwho demonstrated his ability to resolve plays quickly and correctly.

Despite not counting on goals, the first half of the match was very entertaining. Both teams, sticking to their script, had their chances. While both lacked efficiency in key situations, they made it clear they could hurt their rival at any moment. It was a first round trip.

After the break, those led by Graham Potter took another stand. They have left behind the strictly speculative attitude of the first 45 minutes e they have been planted in the rival field. Sure, with players like Enzo, Joao Felix, Kai Havertz or Mudryk it’s a shame to wait so far from goal, but it shows that he lacks the time for knowledge and work. Another shortcoming is not having an area 9 with an exchange, something that, with the amount of millions that have been spent, could have been fixed.

But football is not linear. Chelsea came out better on the pitch, it’s true, but the one who struck first was Borussia Dortmund. 20 minutes into the plug-in, the Englishman took a corner and Adeyemi took the clearance.

The 21-year-old German striker masterfully controlled and, with the whole pitch in front, tackled Enzo Fernández, who was the last and only man left in midfield. The former River retreated as the manuals say to wait for his teammates to retreat, but Adeyemi’s speed was so great that when he wanted to take the ball away from him it was too late, he accelerated, dribbled right-footed past Kepa and, with goal at his mercy, he converted the first goal of the series.

With the goal there was a change of roles. The Germans took the field again with the intention of being able to deal with the advantage obtained, while the Chelsea should have taken the lead role. Without the foam of the first minutes, the coach has moved the bench in search of freshness.

However, there was a wall at Signal Iduna Park. the Swiss Gregor Kobel was very firm and answered whenever called. If it hadn’t been for his reactions and the confidence he showed every time a ball flew over the area, surely the result would have been different.

Borussia Dortmund achieved a result that should be greatly appreciated. Logically nothing is defined and they have yet to define, in London, who will have the ticket for the quarter-finals. Chelsea could have equalized, but couldn’t beat Kobel. However, nothing covers the fact that this is a group that lacks work. The big unknown is whether Potter will be able to fix what’s needed to continue in the race towards the big goal of the season.

The game of Enzo Fernandez

The Argentine, despite not having had his best match, was up to it. With the ball at his feet, as always, he showed his judgment and that he had a map of the pitch in his head. As it characterizes it, He always tried to play forward and clean up the game when required.

His low point was his field positioning. He wasn’t comfortable next to Loftus-Cheek and was conceded the entire game by Julian Brandt. The German played behind the central midfielders and, from time to time, became unnoticeable. In fact, most of Borussia Dortmund’s risky actions started from the midfielder’s feet.

In the action that determined the outcome, the newcomer to London came out in the photo. Although he cannot be held responsible as he was holding hands and with a lot of field behind him.

Already from behind, Enzo took the lead on the pitch and started playing closer to the opponent’s goal. His interventions were good and, in fact, one minute from the end they came close to equalizing. The Argentine took a great shot from the croissant, but Gregor Kobel stretched and did not allow the match to end in a draw.