Enzo Maresca is back under pressure at Chelsea and he’s not helping himself after failing to make his side’s statement win over Liverpool a turning point…
Even as a neutral, it has been infuriating watching Chelsea take one step forward and two back under head coach Maresca.
Since taking over ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, Maresca has enjoyed immense highs, including triumphs in the Club World Cup and Europa Conference League, though these moments have been tempered by too many poor performances and dips in form.
One such dire run came in September as Chelsea’s only victory in five games was against League One side Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup, though this led to a four-game winning run that ended with their latest low against Sunderland at the weekend.
The loss to Sunderland has reopened the Maresca sack conversation that will surely reach a new level if Chelsea loses at Spurs after facing Wolves in the Carabao Cup in midweek.
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The high point of Chelsea’s most recent upturn in form was their 2-1 win against Premier League holders Liverpool, which felt like a real turning point for the Blues.
On this occasion, the Blues were fully deserving of three points and Maresca’s attack-minded substitutions gave them the edge en route to Estevao’s last-gasp winner.
This was an example of Maresca’s in-game decisions improving Chelsea, but this is not always the case.
You only have to go back around a week to the 2-1 loss against Man Utd to see how badly Maresca can get it wrong, with the head coach’s senseless three substitutions before half-time more detrimental than Robert Sanchez’s early red card.
And there was more evidence of Maresca’s mismanagement at the weekend as Joao Pedro and Pedro Neto were withdrawn and replaced by inexperienced replacements Andrey Santos and Tyrique George before Chemsdine Talbi’s last-gasp winner, with this angering club legend John Obi Mikel.
“I think the manager will be very disappointed with how we lost the game,” Mikel said on The Obi One podcast.
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“I’ve never been critical of Enzo Maresca, I’m a big fan of his. But I just thought that when we were chasing that game, to win that game when it was 1-1, at home… you can’t take your best players out.
“You can’t substitute your best players. It doesn’t matter that you’re not playing so great.
“Joao Pedro and Pedro Neto, they were not playing so well. But you leave those players on the pitch and they will find a way to create chances, they will find a way to win that game.
“I just thought for him to substitute Joao Pedro and Pedro Neto out, after that substitution it was just flat, absolutely flat. There was nothing, we just couldn’t offer anything.”
He added: “When you’re bringing off those players and there’s a lot of inexperience as well coming into the game, I just think it will take a little bit of time to get into the game.
“Bring them in when we’re winning the game, when there’s less pressure. Don’t bring those young players in when we’re chasing the game and it’s tight.”
Maresca has a tough gig at Chelsea as it’s unclear whether their transfer decision is tailored enough to on-field success, but his lack of composure in moments when games are on a knife-edge is not helping his situation, as he adds to their inconsistent nature.