Enzo Maresca will have to improve results at Chelsea quickly if he wants to keep his job after a run of one win in seven Premier League games.Two more dispiriting and lacklustre performances at Stamford Bridge against Aston Villa and Bournemouth over the holiday period have increased the pressure on the Italian.
Maresca’s fortunes were sky high after Chelsea beat Barcelona 3-0 in November and sat three points off the top of the table but a series of self-inflicted wounds, some questionable decisions and damaging defeats by Leeds, Atalanta and Villa have put him under more pressure than ever.
He lifted the lid on his uneasy relationship with his employers at Stamford Bridge earlier in December with his inflammatory comments after his side beat Everton, saying that the days leading up to the game had been “the worst 48 hours” of his time at the club and that “many people” were not supporting him or the team.As everyone knows, football is a results business. Maresca is ending 2025 as the Chelsea head coach, but he is unlikely to make it to the end of January unless results improve quickly.
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This is the second successive season Chelsea have lost their way over the winter months under Maresca. Last season they won only two league games between mid-December and the final week of February.
This year, a January which is likely to be defining for Maresca includes nine games across four competitions.
Chelsea players have been given two days off after Tuesday’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth. They will return to training on Friday to prepare for Sunday’s game at Manchester City, live on Sky Sports.Chelsea were a point ahead of City in the Premier League little more than five weeks ago but they will travel to Manchester having fallen 10 points behind Pep Guardiola’s side, and have also dropped 15 points from winning positions this season.
Sunday 4th January 5:00pm
Kick off 5:30pm
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2025-12-31 15:32:00
