Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca hits back over job speculation

Under-pressure Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has hit back at critics speculating about his future at the club, questioning why the club would change manager.

Chelsea were booed off following their 2-1 defeat to Legia Warsaw in the Conference League despite progressing 4-2 on aggregate, and rumours around Maresca’s future weren’t helped by Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali being seen entering the dressing room at full time.

Asked if he still felt the same support from the boardroom, Maresca said: “Yeah, it absolutely is the same. I tried to explain on Wednesday and we cannot change the idea the day after – in the last two years Chelsea have never been in the top four or five. This season we’ve been in the Champions League spots almost all season.

“We’re in a semi-final in Europe. Why would we need to change something now? I have no doubt about what we’re doing, the way we’re doing it, and for different reasons we’ve had some setbacks or bad moments.

“But for me, this makes us stronger for the future.”

While the Blues have tightened up defensively in recent weeks, it appears to have come at the cost of their attacking output, average just 1.2 goals across their last 16 games, with fans now turning on the manager amidst poor results and an uninspiring style of play.

The goals which primarily came from Nicolas Jackson, who’d scored nine in his first 13 Premier League games but none in his last 11, and Cole Palmer, who’d scored 14 in his first 21 Premier League games but none in his last 10, have dried up as Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League bid has come off the rails.

Chelsea were well on course for a top-five finish – which will be enough to secure UEFA Champions League football – sitting second in the table on 15th December, two points behind Liverpool having played a game more.

Since then, however, only six teams have picked up fewer points than Maresca’s men, and three of them will be playing in the Championship next season.

The run of form has seen Chelsea slide down the table and although they’re only one point behind Manchester City in fifth, they look more likely to lose ground in the race for the UEFA Champions League than make it up.

Their run-in certainly isn’t straightforward, either. Chelsea face a trip to Fulham before hosting Everton. They then face Liverpool (home), Newcastle (away), Manchester United (home) and Nottingham Forest (away).

And should Chelsea fail to reach the UEFA Champions League for a third successive season, they may be in the market for a new manager once again.

Liam Williams

• Chelsea F.C.
• Premier League
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