Online Reporter
LESS than six months after guiding Chelsea to Club World Cup football success, Enzo Maresca has left his post as head coach.
The Blues won just one of their final seven English Premier League matches under Maresca and sit fifth in the table – 15 points adrift of leaders Arsenal.
After their most recent game – a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on December 30 – assistant manager Willy Caballero said Maresca felt too unwell to speak to the media, but it is understood his absence was more due to him considering his next steps.
Two days on, Maresca has gone. But how did things unravel?
At the end of November, Chelsea appeared in a harmonious place, with the team third in the Premier League and having recently dismantled Barcelona in the Champions League.
On December 12, Maresca was named Premier League manager of the month for November.
Just one league win followed in December, but it was not only results that added to the focus on Maresca, with fissures emerging between the Italian and the club’s hierarchy.
Maresca stunned key figures at Stamford Bridge – and even his own staff – when, after beating Everton 2-0 for Chelsea’s solitary Premier League win in December, he said “many people” had made it his “worst 48 hours” since joining the club.
Those comments came from a position of strength after a good performance but were viewed dimly by the club hierarchy, at whom they appeared to be aimed.
They have since been explained as being linked to medical recommendations.
Senior figures inside Chelsea said instructions were ignored and decisions either risked players getting injured again – or prevented them from training because of overload. Maresca felt the club were telling him who to pick, based on a player’s value.
Even after that, the plan remained to conduct an end-of-season review to decide whether to move forward with Maresca or part company.
Those with knowledge of Maresca’s views, though, said he was capable of walking away having grown unhappy at a multitude of factors, including encouragement over which players should start and which substitutions should be made during matches.
He also felt a lack of protection from the club over the quality of his work.
And on Thursday came news that was not unexpected, with Chelsea confirming the two parties had gone their separate ways.
The Blues’ players returned to work yesterday closer in points to 15th place than third in the Premier League as they prepare for a defining period.
They face Manchester City tomorrow to start a difficult month that also includes games against Arsenal and Napoli.
Chelsea’s primary goal this season is to qualify for the Champions League, which remains realistic, while also aiming for domestic cup runs. What happened to Maresca behind the scenes? Chelsea were satisfied with Maresca at the end of last season when he delivered Champions League qualification – regarded internally as his most important achievement – plus success in the Conference League and Club World Cup.
While victory in Europe’s third-tier competition was broadly expected, beating Paris St-Germain to be crowned “world champions” was a welcome surprise.
Maresca had delighted key figures at Stamford Bridge – including sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Lawrence Stewart, and influential co-owner Behdad Eghbali.
In line with the agreed strategy when the Italian moved from Leicester City in 2024 – for which the club paid £10 million – he focused on coaching while those above him oversaw much of the backroom staff, medical department and transfers.
Maresca knew what he was signing up for in terms of the transfer policy – signing the world’s best young players from “lesser” leagues to create the youngest team in the Premier League – and his issues were not with the quality of players or the strategy, but about the perception of his work with a young group. Maresca also did not expect decisions on team selection to be influenced.
This season, he and his agent had informed the club on two occasions of interest from Manchester City. Chelsea noted it came at a time when City boss Pep Guardiola had said Maresca was the best manager in the league. – BBC Sport.
