Want to learn more timely sports news and live broadcasts & prevent losing our links? Welcome click here to join our Telegram channel
Who is better suited to be Chelsea's vice-captain?
The question of who should captain Chelsea has once again become a hot topic of discussion. Normally, whenever Reece James is not on the field or injured (as he is now), the captain's armband is worn by Enzo Fernández. However, recent events have made this arrangement somewhat awkward.
Fernández was suspended for two matches internally by the club after giving multiple media interviews during the March international break that sparked speculation about a summer transfer to Real Madrid. Prior to this, he had criticized Chelsea's decision to part ways with Enzo Maresca and questioned his own future after the team's Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
He missed Chelsea's 7-0 thrashing of Port Vale in the FA Cup on Saturday and will also be absent from the squad when Manchester City visit Stamford Bridge in the Premier League next weekend.
Even when he returns, it is far from certain whether he will retain his second-place position in the captaincy hierarchy. An anonymous Chelsea insider revealed that Fernández is just one of several joint captains in the leadership group, not the official vice-captain.
Fortunately for head coach Liam Rosenior, this Chelsea team has a reputation for experienced and inspirational leadership figures.
Admittedly, this Chelsea side is a far cry from the one that dominated the Premier League in the 2009-10 season, when their starting lineup regularly featured six different national team captains. However, if Fernández is deemed unfit for the captaincy role, there are several strong candidates in the squad who may be willing to take on the responsibility for the remainder of this season and beyond.
Captaincy Candidate: Moises Caicedo
Caicedo is the logical choice. In the rare instances when both James and Enzo are absent, he has always stepped up and is expected to captain Chelsea in the match against Manchester City.
Like the Argentine, he is a symbol of this Blues team, and despite a noticeable dip in form in recent months, he enjoys far greater support among Chelsea fans than the latter - who was not entirely forthright when asked in an interview with Spanish newspaper AS about a potential future move to Real Madrid.
The only potential downside to him captaining is that if the Ecuadorian player picks up his 10th yellow card of the season against Manchester City, he will face a two-match suspension in the Premier League.
Cobham-Bred Captains: Trevoh Chalobah/ Levi Colwill
They know the ropes inside out. Both Chalobah and Colwill are graduates of the Cobham academy, and like James, they have played important roles in the team during Chelsea's profit-driven era.
Both Chalobah and Colwill are emerging leaders, highly respected in the dressing room and beloved by the fans at the stadium. Both have worn the captain's armband before, and their ability and dedication are beyond doubt.
Colwill has returned to full training, with his long rehabilitation from an anterior cruciate ligament tear suffered in August drawing to a close. However, Chelsea are being extremely cautious with the 23-year-old's recovery, and James is likely to return to the field before he is fully fit. Chalobah is also sidelined with a high ankle sprain, and his return date is expected to be around the same time as James'.
Star Performer Captain: Cole Palmer
"Long overdue," Palmer smiled when asked how it felt to captain Chelsea for the first time in the match against Port Vale on Saturday. Palmer's personality is always elusive, so it was a pleasant surprise to see the 23-year-old so openly express his pride at this milestone moment.
It also serves as a reminder that not all football players' personal career goals are clearly visible to the outside world.
Palmer's status within the Chelsea team is unshakable. It was he who turned the tide in the Europa Conference League final and ultimately helped the team win the Club World Cup final. When teammates are under pressure or the game gets tough, they all turn to him for help. This on-field authority is more than sufficient to qualify him for the captaincy role, and sometimes football is simply about giving the armband to the best player in the team.
However, is he vocal enough to take on this role? Perhaps, in the coming weeks when Chelsea need him most, it would be better for him to focus wholeheartedly on training to regain his best form?
Cult Hero Captain: Marc Cucurella
If the suitability to be Chelsea captain were measured by the frequency and intensity of abuse from opposing fans, then Cucurella might rank alongside John Terry.
Cucurella is a beloved figure in the dressing room, whose influence spans across different generations of players, and he is also one of the most charismatic players in the Chelsea squad. More importantly, he is always available when needed:
Last season, no player under Enzo Maresca played more minutes than the Spanish international, who topped the appearance charts both across all competitions and during the Club World Cup triumph last summer.
However, ultimately, demoting Enzo to promote a player who expressed similar criticisms of Chelsea's decisions to The Athletic during the international break may seem too bizarre to ignore - even though club insiders insist the key difference is that Enzo disrespected the club, while Cucurella's mistake was publicly expressing grievances that should have been resolved internally.
