Enzo Maresca tackling Chelsea issue as sporting directors plot 10-man fire-sale

ANALYSIS: Chelsea are currently on course to achieve two key objectives under Enzo Maresca but the Italian is still yet to fully win over supporters at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea have two objectives this season, secure Champions League qualification and win the UEFA Conference League.

Should Enzo Maresca achieve both goals, his debut Stamford Bridge campaign can surely be considered a success However, tensions amongst the club’s disgruntled fanbase are now on a knife-edge following a series of underwhelming displays.

Chelsea icon Jody Morris posted on X during the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal: “What an awful game of football this has been, we have been dominated twice by Copenhagen and today by a bang average Arsenal side.”

In the recent 1-0 victory over FC Copenhagen, the Blues failed to register a single shot (on or off target) in the opening 45 minutes for the first time in Europe since November 2013.

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The home atmosphere has become notably flat at Stamford Bridge in recent months and the issue is becoming a real problem for Maresca as there is a clear disconnect between supporters and a team seemingly starved of imagination and expression.

The Italian gestured towards the stands in a bid to rally the crowd during Chelsea’s narrow 1-0 win over former club Leicester but the truth is, there is not much for supporters to get excited about.

Maresca is a self-confessed disciple of Pep Guardiola, who he worked under at Manchester City, and his possession-based style is tactically complex and hinges on the execution of small details.

He recently declared midfielder Enzo Fernandez would be subbed if he doesn’t play backwards passes and later added: “If the goalkeeper plays long, I will change him.”

As Cole Palmer’s influence has seemingly waned in recent weeks, he has not registered a goal or assist in his past 10 outings in all competitions, Chelsea have looked somewhat rigid and like a collection of players scared of making mistakes.

It’s a far cry from December, when the Blues went second following a 4-3 victory at Tottenham. They were a free-scoring team that looked capable of going the distance.

While Maresca is certainly not immune from criticism, Chelsea have made steady progress under his reign and undeniably, there are limitations of working within the club’s current model given there is such a high turnover of players.

There can be no doubt Clearlake Capital’s excessive spending has proven hindering and it would be unfair to pass judgement on Maresca until he has a world-class goalkeeper, central defender and striker at his disposal.

Sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart will be tasked with overseeing an end-of-season fire-sale to help fund the arrivals of those key, marquee additions this summer.

Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Joao Felix, Christopher Nkunku, Axel Disasi, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Armando Broja, Carney Chukwuemeka, Renato Veiga and David Datro Fofana are among those that could depart. Interest in Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Benoit Badiashile would also give Chelsea something to think about.

But it would also be naive for anyone to expect a drastic shift in strategy from Clearlake any time soon as the recent double capture of highly-rated Sporting CP duo Geovany Quenda and Dario Essugo epitomises their desire to continue building for the future – rather than prioritising the present.

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