Even if Enzo Maresca is indeed ‘on thin ice’ at Chelsea, and we doubt it, the BlueCo bosses should wait until at least Christmas to sack him, to see if the manager they’re thinking of replacing him with can break a worrying trend which should raise doubts over his appointment.
Chelsea sit ninth in the Premier League table and 11th in the Champions League in a season of ups and downs, with Maresca a man expertly guiding his young players through turbulent waters one minute an then a coach ill-equipped to do so the next.
The requisite youngest squad caveat for their inconsistency has been joined by something of an injury crisis, headed by the key absences of Levi Colwill and Cole Palmer, a hangover from their Club World Cup success and the four red cards shown to Chelsea players to offer mitigation for Maresca this season.
And Fabrizio Romano insisted at the end of September, after Chelsea had picked up just one point from three Premier League games against Brentford, Manchester United and Brighton, that the Blues chiefs retain “full trust” in Maresca.
“Many questions on Chelsea performances, many questions on what’s going on with Enzo Maresca and Chelsea. My understanding is that Chelsea have a full trust in Enzo Maresca.
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“They believe he’s the right man for this project. So Chelsea keep protecting and backing and supporting their manager.”
X account indykaila news, which describes itself as a ‘team of 5 elite reporters’ and has broken some big, genuine stories as well as spouting some utter nonsense, claim he’s ‘on thin ice’ with the Chelsea hierarchy, who are keen on Andoni Iraola as his replacement.
‘Exclusive. We understand @ChelseaFC are making plans to bring Andoni Iraola to the club in the near future.
‘They believe Andoni Iraola will become one of the leading managers in world football. Enzo Maresca is on thin ice with certain #cfc officials according to sources.’
After winning two trophies last season Maresca has some leeway, and with young players, plenty of new faces and no Palmer through much of this poor spell, he has plenty of excuses for what looks suspiciously like inertia at Stamford Bridge. And even if Chelsea were of a mind to sack him, they should wait to appoint Iraola if he’s their preferred replacement.
Because while the Spaniard is undoubtedly the ‘in vogue’ Premier League manager with his Bournemouth side sitting pretty in second place, that was also the case at the end of January after an 11-game unbeaten run featuring seven wins to put them in the running for Champions League qualification, before one win in nine saw them finish mid-table.
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He was linked with bigger and better jobs in December 2023 after a run of six wins and a draw in seven games. But that was after he failed to win any of his first nine games in charge and it was followed by seven games without a win. Iraola has turned Bournemouth into the Premier League’s most mercurial side.
Chelsea waiting until Christmas to make their decision on Maresca would provide sufficient time for one of those typically wild swings in form which have been the trademark of Iraola’s time at Bournemouth, along with the excellent, fast-paced football he has them playing, to take place, if he hasn’t found a way of avoiding those oscillations.
If he has, then he may well be the man for Chelsea, or indeed any top club looking to change their manager, because that time period would also see Bournemouth up against a greater standard of opposition, as Iraola’s side only playing three of their nine games against teams in the top half of the Premier League table so far this season arguably suggests something of a false position for the Cherries.
It doesn’t look likely they’re about to sack Maresca anyway, but in the hope that Iraola is the best bet to replace him at Stamford Bridge, the Chelsea bosses need to give him until Christmas to show he’s broken a worrying trend of significant troughs following dizzying heights. Because what the Blues really don’t need is a mercurial manager taking charge of their mercurial players.
