Why has Maresca been controversial at Chelsea?

16/12/2025 14:56:00 SportScoop

Recently, Enzo Maresca shocked many by declaring he had experienced the worst 48 hours of his Chelsea managerial career. Why hasn’t he gained affection at Stamford Bridge?

Throughout his one and a half years managing Chelsea, Maresca has clearly enhanced the Blues’ results compared to his two predecessors in the Todd Boehly era, Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino. This is not only about the two trophies—the Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup—but also the significant restoration of Chelsea’s status as a top club. Maresca’s coaching prowess is demonstrated by his wins against notable rivals such as Luis Enrique (PSG), Arne Slot (Liverpool), and Hansi Flick (Barcelona).

So what makes this 45-year-old coach believe many people don’t support him? It certainly isn’t the recent 3-0 victory over Everton, where Cole Palmer scored his first goal in nearly three months. Maresca’s job remains secure not only due to Chelsea’s fourth place after 16 matches but also because of the trust from the club’s leadership.

A more compelling explanation: there are divisions over what Maresca is doing at Chelsea. This is quite similar to the case of Maurizio Sarri, another Italian coach who worked at Chelsea seven years ago and lasted only the 2018-19 season before departing despite winning the Europa League. Some Chelsea fans are dissatisfied with the “two steps forward, one step back” pattern in this season’s games under Maresca. They performed very well against Barcelona, drew with Arsenal despite playing with fewer men, but then endured a three-match winless streak including two losses to Leeds and Atalanta.

Maresca still hasn’t been fully embraced at Chelsea despite showing his coaching abilities

Maresca himself took responsibility for the defeat to Leeds and for errors in his personnel choices but has consistently placed faith in the players on his team. The real problem lies in the clash between the expectation that Maresca’s team should be ready to contend with Arsenal and Man City for the Premier League title and the reality that Maresca arrived at Stamford Bridge to lead a long-term project. Chelsea fans have waited eight years for a Premier League title. What Maresca actually needs is time and patience to build the foundation for a dominant Chelsea era, like the one under former owner Abramovich.

The League Cup quarter-final against Cardiff will be an ideal moment for Maresca to both take Chelsea a big step closer to winning a trophy this season and to rest key players like Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella, who have been heavily used since the start of the season. No one would blame the Italian coach if he rotates his squad extensively in this match, but Maresca must ensure Chelsea’s dominance over weaker opponents instead of suffering poor results like the two defeats against Premier League newcomers Sunderland and Leeds this season.

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