Enzo Maresca: What Went Wrong for Former Chelsea Manager?

The Italian manager’s refusal to elaborate on his surprise criticism only added to the tensions.

Enzo Maresca’s time as Chelsea manager is over. | Alex Livesey/Danehouse/Getty Images

The dugout at Stamford Bridge is a common target for the spotlight but few could have foreseen the intensity of the glare to begin 2026.

Enzo Maresca has departed his role as Chelsea manager after a shocking turn of events which began almost out of nowhere and concluded in emergency talks to open the new year. At that stage, there was only ever going to be one outcome.

So, what happened? How did Chelsea turn a potential title charge into a search for their fifth permanent manager of the BlueCo era?

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Enzo Maresca’s Press Conference Ignites Tensions

Maresca’s celebrations after the win over Everton did not last long. | Chris Lee/Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

Maresca’s postmatch press conference after the win over Everton started like every other media appearance, which was to be expected after a fairly nondescript victory. The Blues boss offered lukewarm insight into his tactics in response to run-of-the-mill questions, before derailing an answer about the recent improvement from Malo Gusto.

“Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst 48 hours since I joined the club because many people didn’t support us,” Maresca revealed out of nowhere.

The only extra detail revealed during that initial press conference was the fact Maresca was referring to people “in general,” but that tame explanation was not good enough for a fanbase who were aware their club was now flirting with a potential crisis.

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Who Was Chelsea Manager Referring to?

Maresca repeatedly declined to elaborate. | Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

Here’s the million dollar question.

The only entity to be explicitly removed from the suspects list was the fanbase. “I love the fans and we are very happy with the fans,” was Maresca’s first line, before his follow-up press conference saw him add: “I said after the game that I love the Chelsea supporters, they deserve the best, and again, I don’t have nothing to add.”

His general demeanour suggested Maresca’s gripes were not with the media—at least not before they refused to accept his plea to move on from the subject—and there would clearly be more noise if this was a problem with the squad. By process of elimination, that left those above him in the Chelsea hierarchy as his targets.

This hypothesis was put to Maresca soon after but was met with a predictably cold shoulder. “I was quite clear,” Maresca argued and repeated even when those in attendance assured him his words were anything but.

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Why Was Enzo Maresca Unhappy?

Co-owner Behdad Eghbali (left) hands plenty of control to sporting directors Laurence Stewart (centre) and Paul WInstanley (right). | Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Those with any knowledge of Chelsea in the BlueCo era will be well aware that the club operates a little differently than most. The direction is, as clarified by David Ornstein, dictated by the owners and sporting directors, with the manager simply asked to buy into the vision, rather than contribute to its planning.

Co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart are given immense responsibility and there are countless suggestions that Maresca developed an issue with their approach. According to The Telegraph, his frustrations grew from a constant need to defend himself—his tactics or his player rotation—and a concern that those in charge may not trust him fully.

Chelsea’s strategy encourages rotation in order to give as many young players as possible the chance to develop into superstars, but it comes with obvious on-field risks. While Maresca was left without influential figures like Cole Palmer, Moisés Caicedo and Levi Colwill during crucial periods, the parachute began to break and flaws in the plan were exposed.

A run of disappointing results, none more brutal than the 3–1 defeat to Leeds United, saw Maresca face plenty of questions about his substitutions and in-game management, and the boss refused to dismiss suggestions that those queries have also been raised internally.

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Why Did Enzo Maresca Leave Chelsea?

Maresca’s Chelsea contract ran until 2029. | Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

In the immediate aftermath of Maresca's first outburst, the general sentiment was that he would still be in charge for the remainder of the season at the very least.

Maresca publicly pledged his “100%” commitment to the job when asked and repeatedly stressed his happiness at Chelsea, but two weeks of rising tensions and pressure from those above ultimately pushed him closer to the edge.

Signs of a potential decline in his relationship with the board began to grow during the summer following the ACL injury to star defender Levi Colwill. Maresca went public with his plea for a replacement to be signed, going as far as to insist the remaining options in his squad were simply not good enough for the role.

Those cries fell on deaf ears as Chelsea ended the summer window without a new defender, with those in charge deciding not to deviate from their transfer strategy.

Since then, Maresca also hinted at a wish to see more experience added to his youthful squad but, once again, that did not fit the brief set by those upstairs. It quickly became clear people were not seeing eye-to-eye anymore, and Maresca is believed to have made it clear he did not feel comfortable continuing in his role.

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