Chelsea sack manager Enzo Maresca
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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca reacting after the 2-2 English Premier League draw with Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Dec 30.
PHOTO: EPA
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LONDON – Chelsea sacked manager Enzo Maresca on Jan 1 after widespread reports that the club’s board had met to discuss his future.
The Blues are on a run of one English Premier League win in seven games and have lost 13 points at home from winning positions this season.
That sequence has seen Chelsea drop out of the top four.
“With key objectives still to play for across four competitions, including qualification for Champions League football, Enzo and the club believe a change gives the team the best chance of getting the season back on track,” the club said in a statement.
The 45-year-old’s exit from Stamford Bridge comes with the club fifth in the Premier League table – 15 points adrift of leaders and London rivals Arsenal.
Chelsea were as high as third in November and were among the title contenders.
Speculation about Maresca’s position increased during Chelsea’s poor run of recent results, amid reports of a worsening relationship between the coach and the club’s hierarchy.
Maresca did not attend the post-match press conference following a frantic 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on Dec 30, although his absence was attributed to illness.
He has stood by comments made on Dec 13, when he said many people at Chelsea were not supporting him or the team.
Maresca said the days leading up to the 2-0 victory over Everton were “the worst 48 hours” of his time at Chelsea.
His contract had been due to run until the summer of 2029, with a club option of a further year.
The Italian, who joined from Leicester City in June 2024, led the club to the Conference League and Club World Cup titles last season.
According to Opta, under Maresca, Chelsea averaged 1.74 points-per-game in the Premier League.
Among managers with 30 or more league games in charge of the club in the 21st century, only Frank Lampard (1.52) and Mauricio Pochettino (1.66) have a lower rate.
Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior is among the candidates to fill the Stamford Bridge hot seat. The Ligue 1 club are also controlled by Chelsea’s owners.
Chelsea’s next match is against Manchester City in the Premier League on Jan 4. AFP, REUTERS
