Enzo Maresca will need to improve his form quickly if he wants to keep his job at Chelsea after one win in seven Premier League games.
Two further disappointing and lackluster performances at Stamford Bridge and Aston Villa and against Bournemouth over the holidays added to the pressure on the Italian.
Maresca’s fortunes have skyrocketed since Chelsea beat Barcelona 3-0 in November, leaving them three points clear of the top of the table, but a string of self-inflicted injuries, some questionable decisions and heartbreaking defeats by Leeds, Atalanta and Villa have put them under more pressure than ever.
He revealed his uneasy relationship with his employer with inflammatory comments following the win over Everton at Stamford Bridge in early December, saying the days leading up to the game had been the “worst 48 hours” of his time at the club and that “many people” did not support him or the team.
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Free to watch: Highlights of the Premier League match between Chelsea and Bournemouth
As we all know, football is a business of results. Maresca will end his time as Chelsea’s head coach in 2025, but it is unlikely to end before the end of January unless his results improve soon.
It is the second season in a row that Chelsea have lost their way over the winter under Maresca. Last season, they won just two league games from mid-December to the last week of February.
This will be a decisive January for Maresca, with nine matches played in four competitions.
Chelsea players were given two days off after Tuesday’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth. They will return to training on Friday to prepare for Sunday’s game against Manchester City, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
Chelsea were one point behind City in the Premier League just over five weeks ago, but now they are 10 points adrift of Josep Guardiola’s side and head to Manchester having dropped 15 points this season.
Sunday, January 4th 5pm
5:30pm kickoff
Are there problems behind the scenes at Chelsea?
Sky Sports News Chief Correspondent Kaveh Solhekol:
“There seems to be something wrong with Chelsea. Back in November, Chelsea were on a roll after beating Barcelona in the Champions League, but since then they have only won two of their nine games.
His comments after Chelsea beat Everton were self-inflicted, saying the days leading up to the game had been the “worst 48 hours” of his time at the club and that “a lot of people” didn’t support him. There was no need for him to make such a comment, but it revealed that things were not going well behind the scenes at Chelsea.
“When you’re at Chelsea, you’re a head coach, not a manager, and you have to fit into the structure that’s been put in place at the club. Maresca has a sporting director who has to work closely with him and there has to be a team behind the team.”
“The question is, is that team united or are there problems with that team behind the scenes? Can those problems be resolved?”
“Another question I would like to ask is whether those issues are impacting performance or results.
“Chelsea have quality players and from the performances we saw against Barcelona and against Arsenal, they have a very good team, but for some reason Maresca is not able to get the most out of those players at the moment.
“You can feel it at Stamford Bridge. You can feel the disconnect between the team and the fans and that needs to be fixed urgently.”
Analysis: Maresca and Chelsea didn’t have the chance to start the game
Ron Walker of Sky Sports:
“At the end of last season, with Enzo Maresca leading a young Chelsea team back to the Champions League and then winning the Conference League and Club World Cup titles, we felt like we had a chance to build something.
“Six months on, how much progress have we made? Judging by the boos during and after the Blues’ recent poor result against Bournemouth, not that much progress.
“If you look at the Premier League table, this seems like a harsh assessment when Chelsea are well within their rights to qualify for the Champions League.
“But just as when Frank Lampard was the last managerial casualty of the Roman Abramovich era, the question is direction. At the halfway point of the 2025/26 season they are five points worse than at this point last year and adrift.”
“Maresca feels he is responsible for most, if not all, of the fundamental problems. Overrotation has been a problem for years. Chelsea have made 55 changes to their squad this season, while only rock-bottom Wolves have made more than 50 changes.”
“It’s not all his own fault. The team is severely lacking in depth in certain areas and lacks experience almost across the board. The starting XI against Bournemouth was the youngest to be selected in a Premier League game this season.”
“Maresca received deserved praise for his tactics to win the Club World Cup in the summer, but little progress has been made on that front far and wide. He has described himself as a big-game manager, and wins over Liverpool and Barcelona at Stamford Bridge this season, as well as a brilliant 10-man draw with Arsenal, are fair proof.”
“But that seven points conceded from a 21-point deficit includes the defeat against Leeds and the four-point drop against Bournemouth, where they had gone nine games without a win. “If Trevor Chalobah had taken a blatant penalty, it would have also counted as a loss against Newcastle.
“There were moments when it seemed like a connection was forming between Maresca and the fan base. The jubilation after the two trophies last season and the win at Tottenham earlier this season come to mind.
“But the vitriol in public hasn’t helped create the us-against-the-world mentality that fans have felt over the past 20 years under Jose Mourinho, Thomas Tuchel and even Frank Lampard.
“In the end, only results can turn things around for Maresca. That’s the cold currency that buys coaching time at Chelsea.”
With a big month looming for Maresca, Chelsea’s January fixtures…
Can Enzo Maresca improve Chelsea’s performance in January?
The Blues have some tough games ahead…
Sunday 4th January: Man City (A) – Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm (live on Sky Sports) Wednesday 7th January: Fulham (A) – Premier League, kick-off 7.30pm (live on Sky Sports) Saturday 10th January: Charlton (A) – FA Cup, kick-off 8pm (live on Sky Sports) Wednesday 14th January: Arsenal (H) – Carabao Cup, kick-off 8pm (live on Sky Sports) Saturday 17 January: Brentford (H) – Premier League, kick-off 3pm Wednesday 21 January: Paphos (H) – Champions League, kick-off 8pm Sunday 25 January: Crystal Palace (A) – Premier League, kick-off 2pm (live on Sky Sports) Wednesday 28 January: Napoli (A) – Champions League, kick-off 8pm Saturday 31 January: West Ham (H) – Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm (live on Sky Sports)
