Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca faces renewed scrutiny after a frustrating 2-2 draw with Qarabag in the Champions League, with injuries and the Club World Cup campaign cited as factors in the team’s inconsistent form.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is facing renewed scrutiny after a disappointing 2-2 Champions League draw against Qarabag in Azerbaijan, a result that leaves the Blues precariously placed in the tournament ahead of a critical clash with Barcelona.
Despite the setback, a verdict from club insiders suggests the Italian’s job is not yet in immediate jeopardy, according to reporting by the Express.
The draw saw Maresca’s tactical attempt to rotate and rest key players fail, as an early injury to Romeo Lavia and a 2-1 deficit at the break forced him to call on his main stars sooner than planned.
The uneven performance, especially when contrasted with the club’s dominant 10-0 aggregate win over Qarabag in 2017/18, has heightened pressure on the manager.
Maresca, however, pointed the blame away from his rotation and towards external factors, believing the club’s mid-summer participation in the lucrative Club World Cup has negatively impacted squad fitness and sharpness.
Addressing the media after the game, he stated: “The goal we conceded, they are silly goals for me. In their box, for the amount of times that we arrived, we have not been clinical enough.
So this is the big difference for me.” He also explicitly referenced the fatigue, telling reporters: “The Club World Cup affects a lot.”
Crucially, despite the inconsistent form, which has seen the Blues drop points in half of their ten league fixtures, reports suggest the club hierarchy continues to back Maresca, maintaining faith he can guide the side back into the top four.
Injuries to key players like Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill are reportedly viewed internally as mitigating factors for their uneven form.
Captain Reece James echoed the frustration over defensive lapses: “We made two errors that led to a penalty and a goal that we gifted them…
If you look at the goals that we have conceded, they haven’t been from amazing play, more our mistakes, and that is something we need to cut out.”