Enzo Maresca sack latest: Chelsea decision to be made soon
Enzo Maresca must make rapid improvements to his Chelsea side’s defensive stability if he wants to avoid facing the sack.
That is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that “serious concerns” have begun to emerge at Stamford Bridge.
As a result, failure to turn around their dramatic drop in form could see Maresca sacked “within weeks” as there are clear faults in his side.
Chelsea have won just three of their last 11 games across all competitions and were humbled by a 3-0 defeat to Brighton last time out in the Premier League.
They now face trips to Aston Villa and Arsenal, as well as a visit from Tottenham in their next five games which could prove crucial for the manager’s future.
The Blues have kept just nine clean sheets in 37 games this season, with only one in their last ten games, and Maresca must now address their defensive frailties.
Supporters have also begun to turn on the manager recently, with concerns that a number of key players including Cole Palmer have regressed under Maresca.
Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea issues explained amid sack pressure
Brown told Football Insider on 18 February that Maresca is facing growing pressure on his position at Stamford Bridge following a sudden downturn in form.
The former scout, who worked closely with the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Ron Atkinson for over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, insisted that Chelsea’s failure to prevent teams from scoring has made their side unstable.
“The biggest problem at Chelsea is the lack of stability in the side,” he told Football Insider.
“They’ve got some good assets, but at the back the solidity just isn’t there, and then that spreads throughout the team and the performances.
“All of a sudden, they look shaky and stop taking so many risks and you wonder why.
“But it shows, to me, defenders are worth their weight in gold.
“Until they get back to defending solidly, they won’t get the best out of players like Cole Palmer because every time something doesn’t come off, they look behind them and they’re in trouble.
“That doesn’t bode well for anybody and it saps the confidence from these players.
“I don’t see that steel in Chelsea, and it’s something the manager absolutely has to address.
“If you can’t stop opposition teams from scoring, you’re going to keep losing games.
“And when you keep losing games, then the pressure starts to build on the manager.
“They’re in a terrible run of form at the moment, and they’ll need to turn things around within the next few weeks or you can see the board making a decision.“
Todd Boehly set to make Enzo Maresca sack decision
Concerns surrounding the manager’s future are set to prevent Todd Boehly and the club hierarchy with a difficult decision regarding his long-term future in the role.
Despite frustrations from the stands, however, it has been claimed that the Chelsea hierarchy would prefer to stick behind Maresca for now.
Having taken over from Mauricio Pochettino in the summer, the former Leicester boss is still less than a year into a five-year contract signed at Stamford Bridge.
As a result, there is a feeling that he will be given time by the owners, although Brown warned that their previous trigger-happy record suggests otherwise.
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