‘Enzo Maresca guarantees Chelsea fans will be even worse v Legia Warsaw’
Enzo Maresca has now guaranteed the “environment” created by Chelsea fans will be “far worse” when they take on Legia Warsaw in the Conference League, according to Jeff Stelling.
Maresca’s comments after Chelsea drew with Ipswich, in which he ostensibly blamed the atmosphere created by fans as the reason his side struggled, drew massive criticism from the footballing world.
Ex-Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor even suggested Maresca would be sacked after breaking the “one law” all managers must follow, and time seems to be running out for the Italian in West London.
Whilst the former Leicester manager may have been attempting to encourage Chelsea fans to create a more positive environment, Stelling believes it will have had the opposite effect when the Blues take on their Polish opponents on Thursday (17 April).
Enzo Maresca creating hostile environment for Chelsea players
Speaking on talkSPORT with Ally McCoist and Shebahn Aherne, the trio discussed the affect Maresca’s comments would have on the atmosphere created by Chelsea fans in their next match, with Stelling saying (14 April, 6.27am): “You know, he says there ‘we lost a bit of confidence because of the environment’.
“Thereby guaranteeing that the environment next time will be far worse, far worse! You don’t get fans onside by criticising them, for goodness’ sake.”
Stelling then muses: “I dunno, I don’t know what the future holds for Enzo Maresca.”
Enzo Maresca’s comment leaves question marks on Chelsea future
Football Insider Verdict
Maresca’s ill-advised “environment” comments may become one of the more notable moments from a pretty underwhelming tenure as Chelsea manager, should the Blues choose to part ways with the Italian this summer.
As highlighted by many, criticising the fans is one of the few things you absolutely cannot do as a football manager, and usually comes at the end of a coach’s tenure at a club, rather than the beginning.
The awkward aspect though, is where Chelsea go from here if the Italian leaves.
| Chelsea previous five permanent managers: | From | Until | Win percentage |
| Maurizio Sarri | July 2018 | June 2019 | 61.90% |
| Frank Lampard | July 2019 | January 2021 | 52.38% |
| Thomas Tuchel | January 2021 | September 2022 | 60.00% |
| Graham Potter | September 2022 | April 2023 | 38.71% |
| Mauricio Pochettino | July 2023 | May 2024 | 50.98% |
The last manager to last more than a calendar year in West London was the current England boss Thomas Tuchel.
There exist a number of talented coaches, but prying a talented manager away from a rival is not an issue for Chelsea; they don’t seem to know how to back one properly.
Maresca may not have been too far off the mark criticising Chelsea’s environment, it just may have been pointed in the wrong direction.