Palmer or Fernandez? Rosenior faces genuine Chelsea headache as Fernandez's form demands answers

Liam Rosenior finds himself wrestling with one of those delicious tactical puzzles that would make any manager's hair turn grey. Chelsea's midfield architecture has thrown up a problem that looks increasingly thorny to solve.

When Cole Palmer sat out Chelsea's clash with Pafos due to thigh tightness, it handed Enzo Fernandez the keys to the kingdom – and the Argentine made the most of them. Operating as the creative fulcrum behind the striker, Fernandez orchestrated Chelsea's attacking play with the sort of fluidity that's had PSG and Real Madrid circling like sharks sensing blood in the water.

The numbers tell the story. Fernandez has already bagged eight goals this season, tying him with Joao Pedro at the top of the Blues' scoring charts. In the Premier League alone, nobody at Stamford Bridge has mustered more than his 41 shots or fashioned more than his 34 chances. After notching nine goals across all competitions last term, he's already well on pace to eclipse that tally.

Against Pafos, his fingerprints were all over Chelsea's best moments. He ghosted to the back post with trademark precision to nod in Pedro Neto's delivery from the right – only to see it chalked off for a marginal push on the defender. He threaded both Reece James and Moises Caicedo through with some exquisite close-control work in congested spaces. A delicate chip for Estevao had the goalkeeper scrambling. This is Fernandez at his most dangerous, orchestrating from the ten-yard line where he can wreak havoc.

Rosenior's enthusiasm for his midfielder is palpable. "He's a Chelsea player; he's very important to me," the manager insisted when fielding questions about the transfer speculation. "He can finish, he can score, he arrives really well in the box when he plays higher up like a forward-running eight or a No. 10."

Yet therein lies the rub. Rosenior typically operates with a midfield two, which mathematically leaves room for just a single attacking midfielder. Palmer, when fit and firing, lays claim to that role. The problem – as summarised rather neatly by Joe Cole – is that Palmer is precisely that problem.

Palmer's return from injury has coincided with a dip in his performances. The notion of repositioning him to the right flank, where he shone during his opening Chelsea season, appears off the table given Rosenior's insistence that wingers operate tight to the touchline. That leaves the manager with an either/or scenario he cannot dodge forever.

Rosenior has been coy about the conundrum, diplomatically suggesting he prefers not to "pigeon-hole" his players and that he's deployed individuals in various roles throughout his career. It's diplomatic speak for: I've got a real headache here.

The alternative – dropping Fernandez deeper into a number six berth behind Palmer – simply doesn't work. Reece James fills that role far more effectively, and it would represent a waste of Fernandez's creative talents. The 25-year-old has blossomed into a genuine leader for this Chelsea squad at a time when the club desperately needs voices of authority.

Rosenior is acutely aware of the chess match he's playing. "What I need to do is find out what the chemistry is around the position," he reflected. "It's not just him, it's how other players fit around him."

Chelsea's push for an automatic European qualification spot – they currently sit eighth – may hinge on how their manager resolves this particular puzzle. For now, Fernandez's late-season brilliance has made it a genuinely vexing decision rather than an obvious one.