Even if Enzo Maresca is indeed ‘on thin ice’ at Chelsea, which we doubt, Blueco’s leadership should wait at least until Christmas before sacking him and see if the managers considering his replacement can break the worrying trend that calls his appointment into question.
Chelsea are 9th in the Premier League and 11th in the Champions League in a season full of ups and downs. One moment Maresca was deftly guiding young players through turbulence, and the next his coach wasn’t ready to do it.
Added to the obligatory warning of instability in the team’s youngest squad is the key absence of Levi Colwill and Cole Palmer, a hangover from Club World Cup success and an injury crisis of sorts, led by the four red cards shown to Chelsea players in mitigation for Maresca this season.
And Fabrizio Romano insisted at the end of September that the Blues’ bosses had “full confidence” in Maresca after Chelsea picked up just one point from three Premier League games against Brentford, Manchester United and Brighton.
“There were a lot of questions about Chelsea’s performance and there were also a lot of questions about what’s going on with Enzo Maresca and Chelsea. My understanding is that Chelsea have full confidence in Enzo Maresca.
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“They believe he is the right person for this project. That’s why Chelsea will continue to protect, support and support the manager.”
X-account Indikaira News, which describes itself as a “team of five elite journalists” and reports some serious, real stories and spews outright nonsense, insists he is “on thin ice” with Chelsea executives keen to replace Andoni Iraola.
‘Exclusive. We understand that @ChelseaFC are planning 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. Sources say Enzo Maresca is on thin ice with #CFC officials.
After winning two trophies last season, Maresca has some leeway and there are plenty of excuses for what appears to be a suspicious amount of inertia at Stamford Bridge, given the young players, a host of new faces and the absence of Palmer through much of this lean period. And even if Chelsea were to sack him, they should wait to appoint Iraola if he is their preferred replacement.
Because while the Spanish manager is arguably the Premier League’s ‘trendy’ manager and Bournemouth sit a distant second, that was the case at the end of January, when they went unbeaten in 11 games and won seven games to seal their bid for Champions League qualification, before finishing mid-table with just one win from nine games.
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After posting a record of 6 wins and 1 draw from 7 games, he is set to move on to a bigger and better job in December 2023. But that was after he went winless in his first nine games, followed by seven winless games. Iraola has turned Bournemouth into the most volatile team in the Premier League.
If Chelsea wait until Christmas to make a decision to sign Maresca, it will give them enough time for one of the typically violent forms that was Iraola’s trademark during his time at Bournemouth and the wonderful fast-paced football that Iraola has them playing to occur.
If so, he could be the perfect fit for Chelsea, or indeed any top club considering a managerial change. This is because Bournemouth will be playing against higher level opponents during that period. Iraola’s side have only played three of their nine games against teams in the top half of the Premier League so far this season, perhaps suggesting that the Cherries are in the wrong position.
It seems unlikely that Maresca will be sacked anyway, but with the hope that Iraola is the best option to replace him at Stamford Bridge, the Chelsea bosses have until Christmas to show he has broken a worrying trend of dizzying highs followed by drastic slumps. Because what the Blues really don’t need is a fickle manager managing fickle players.
