Enzo Fernandez has turned a bad night for Argentina into a worse one, after claiming his side “controlled the game from start to finish” in a home defeat to Uruguay that fans saw very differently.
The international break was meant to be a breather for Manchester City’s players after a rough run in the league. For Enzo Fernandez, it has simply brought another loss.
Argentina hosted Uruguay at La Bombonera in their first match since Lionel Messi called time on his international career. Two goals early in the second half, a Leonardo Balerdi own goal and a strike from Maxi Araujo, put the visitors in front, and Julian Alvarez’s goal came too late to change anything.
What did Enzo Fernandez say after the Uruguay defeat?
It was the midfielder’s reading of the game that raised eyebrows. He said: “We controlled the game from start to finish, beyond the goals they scored by chance.”
Both halves of that sentence drew a reaction on social media. One fan called it “a very mediocre statement from a mediocre professional”, another joked that “in the next match, we’ll let them equalise, just by chance”, and a third asked what match he had been watching if he thought Argentina dominated it the whole time.
Was he actually one of Argentina’s better players?
Here is the awkward part for the critics: the Argentine press were far harsher on others. TyC Sports gave Fernandez a 6/10, one of the better marks on the night, and described a player used in two different ways.
In the first half he played much as he has for City lately, relaxed and without much defensive work, focused on keeping the ball moving. Once Exequiel Palacios came off, he moved into the old playmaker’s role, trying to run the game with sideways passes and balls through the lines, one of which started the move for Argentina’s goal. The verdict was that it was not a great game, but that he was still the team’s leader when things went wrong.
Lionel Scaloni asked for patience afterwards, arguing that this young group has the quality to grow. The local press broadly agreed, pointing out that the first goal came from an avoidable free kick on the edge of the area, and that a new cycle without Messi will need games and time before anyone knows how good it is.
How does this fit his Man City form?
It is the timing that makes it sting. Fernandez went into the break on the back of City’s third league defeat in a row, the 3-1 loss at the City Ground, where our Man City player ratings against Nottingham Forest gave him a 4 after he headed over from close range with City’s best first-half chance.
He also sits at the centre of the selection debate in midfield, with teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi pushing for minutes. Every flat display, for club or country, adds weight to the case for change.
Verdict: Enzo Fernandez needs to let his football talk
To be fair to Fernandez, there is a version of what he said that holds up. the opening goal was an own goal, which is about as close to “by chance” as goals get. But you cannot lose at home and tell people you were in control, and fans who have watched City drop points week after week were never going to take it kindly.
He gets two chances to change the mood quickly. Argentina face Costa Rica on Tuesday, and then he returns to club football when City host Fulham at the Etihad on 21 November. A strong showing in that one would do far more for him than any post-match line.
