Chelsea are reportedly considering sacking manager Enzo Maresca this summer after a disappointing first season at the club.
The Italian coach was brought in as a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in June, after leading Leicester City to victory in the Championship last season. It started promisingly, but then things started to go awry.
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Loss of form and unrest among supporters
Chelsea competed with Liverpool for the top spot in the Premier League in mid-December, but their form has collapsed ever since Christmas, and the team has only taken 23 points out of the last 51 in the English top flight.
This has led to concerns about Maresca’s future at Stamford Bridge, with many Chelsea supporters expressing their desire for the 45-year-old to be sacked.
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Several reports have indicated that Chelsea will show patience with Maresca and plan to keep him as coach in the 2025/26 season as well.
But according to CaughtOffside, the Chelsea management is divided on the question of whether Maresca should be sacked as early as this summer. Many are said to be concerned about his style of play and Cole Palmer’s noticeable drop in form in recent months.
Furthermore, if Chelsea fail to finish the season strongly, Maresca could be in “real danger” while the club considers another change of coach.
After Chelsea’s surprising 2-1 loss to Legia Warsaw in the Europa Conference League quarter-finals, Maresca insisted that he feels confident in his position, despite the rumours.
When asked if he has the full support of the owners, he replied to reporters: “Yes, absolutely, yes.”
Maresca added: “I said it yesterday and if necessary I will say it again. In the last two years, Chelsea have not been in the top four or five once. This season we have been there almost all season, fighting for Champions League places.”
“We are in the semi-finals of a European Cup. So why do we need to change anything? I have no doubt about what we do, or the way we do it, for various reasons.”
“We’ve had some bad periods and setbacks, like tonight, during the season. But this only makes us stronger for the future.”
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