Enzo Maresca on brink of Chelsea sack after breakdown of relations

The club is set to open new year with emergency talks.

BRIDGE TOO FAR? Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca may soon depart west London. Pic: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire.

Enzo Maresca is on the brink of leaving Chelsea after a complete breakdown in his relationship with the club. The situation around the head coach has been unpredictable for weeks and it is highly likely that a parting of the ways is expected to take place on Thursday.

Chelsea are set to open the new year by holding emergency talks over Maresca’s position. It is expected that the Italian, who was booed by supporters during the disappointing 2-2 draw with Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, will not be in charge for Sunday’s trip to Manchester City. Sources have indicated that Maresca wants to leave the club but it is unclear if he is willing to walk away without a payoff. His contract runs until 2029, with an option for an extra year.

Chelsea, who have one win from their past seven league games, have had their patience tested by Maresca’s decisions during games but, more important, by his conduct away from the pitch. Uncertainty set in when the former Leicester manager, whose side have dropped 15 points from winning positions in the league this season, made cryptic comments about experiencing his “worst 48 hours” at the club after the victory over Everton on 13 December.

That is viewed as the first of several self-inflicted wounds. Those remarks left Chelsea baffled and have placed a strain on Maresca’s relationship with his bosses. It has not helped that the Italian has repeatedly refused to explain what he meant when he said that “many people” were not supporting him before the Everton game. Whispers about problems behind the scenes have inevitably intensified.

Further tension was created by Maresca saying he felt too unwell to do his press conference after the Bournemouth game. Club insiders were left surprised when Maresca’s assistant, Willy Caballero, spoke to the media. Caballero said the manager had been under the weather for two days but there were claims on Wednesday night that Maresca had actually made it clear that he did not want to conduct his usual press duties. It was said he was considering his options after growing dissatisfied with elements of the Chelsea project.

The club have taken a dim view of the volatility and are expected to respond. They were prepared to give Maresca time to reverse his side’s slump, albeit with the caveat that he would be lucky to survive beyond January were the team’s poor form to continue. Now, though, matters are expected to come to a head sooner rather than later.

The pace of developments has been extraordinary but Chelsea have contingency plans in place. One solution would be for them to turn to the Strasbourg manager, Liam Rosenior, who has long been viewed as a potential successor to Maresca. Strasbourg are Chelsea’s partner club and Rosenior has impressed for the Ligue 1 side. Much would depend on the quality of replacement Strasbourg would be able to recruit now.

If Maresca leaves then Chelsea will be looking for their fifth permanent manager since being bought by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital in 2022. They are reluctant to make mid-season managerial changes. The memory of sacking Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter during the chaotic first season of the ownership remains prominent. The board’s preference had been to until the end of the seasons before reviewing Maresca’s position.

Maresca was in a relatively strong position when Chelsea beat Barcelona 3-0 in the Champions League and held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw at the end of November. But the outlook changed during a troubled December. Maresca’s substitutions and tactics came under scrutiny during defeats by Leeds, Atalanta and Aston Villa, while his behaviour has caused internal tension.

There is a feeling that Maresca put himself in unnecessary trouble with his “worst 48 hours” comments. Maresca has been touted as a potential candidate for Manchester City, should Pep Guardiola leave at the end of the season. There have been suggestions that he wants more power and a bigger say over signings at Chelsea but they are not willing to alter a structure in which they have built an extensive recruitment team and focused on signing some of the best young talent in the game. Chelsea reject the idea that Maresca is given instructions on team selection.

Chelsea have nine fixtures to navigate this month. A draining run features five league games, an FA Cup third round tie against Charlton, the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal and Champions League group games against Pafos and Napoli.

Chelsea were bold in replacing Mauricio Pochettino with Maresca 18 months ago. Last season, Maresca qualified for the Champions League and won the Conference League and the Club World Cup. Chelsea have backed him during previous difficult spells. They do not have an issue with his rotation as that is merely club policy. Yet their patience has limits.

There is an acknowledgment that Maresca has had to cope without Levi Colwill and Cole Palmer for much of his second season in charge. However, it was not encouraging when fans responded to Maresca substituting Palmer against Bournemouth by booing and chanting: “You don’t know what you’re doing.”

Guardian