Guardiola made thoughts clear on Maresca to Todd Boehly as Chelsea boss leaves

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was talked up by Pep Guardiola before his departure from Stamford Bridge

Pep Guardiola spoke glowingly about Enzo Maresca‘s time at Chelsea, despite the Italian’s sudden exit from Stamford Bridge. Maresca’s departure from west London was confirmed on Thursday afternoon after reports emerged that he was weighing up his future with the Blues following a deterioration in his relationship with the club’s senior management.

Chelsea have managed just one victory in their past seven league fixtures and will now have someone else leading them in the dugout ahead of Sunday’s clash with Manchester City.

The turmoil over Maresca’s position and his rapport with Chelsea’s powerbrokers, including Todd Boehly, emerged weeks after he criticised the insufficient backing he’d been given in cryptic remarks.

Following a 2-0 victory against Everton last month, he revealed he’d endured the “worst 48 hours” of his Chelsea spell: “Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because many people didn’t support us.”

Sitting fifth in the Premier League table, Chelsea trail leaders Arsenal by 15 points and risk dropping five points behind fourth-placed Liverpool, should Arne Slot’s team overcome Leeds United at Anfield this evening.

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Yet despite the dismal sequence of results, Guardiola remains convinced of his former assistant’s abilities. After Chelsea’s surprising 3-1 defeat to Leeds, the City manager bemoaned the insufficient recognition Maresca has garnered since guiding Chelsea to Conference League and Club World Cup success last season.

“Look what happened after Leeds,” the Spaniard said. “One of the best managers in the world, Enzo Maresca, I know him quite well but, the job he has done at Chelsea does not get enough credit.

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“Winning the Club World Cup, Conference League, qualification for the Champions League in a league that is so tough with a young team. It is exceptional. And he rotated and look what happened? You are able to win games, games, games and after you lose, lose, lose. It only happens in this league, in this country. It can happen.”

After leaving Chelsea, it’s likely Maresca will be highly sought after, with Manchester City previously reportedly as monitoring his situation. According to The Athletic, Maresca is being considered as a leading candidate to replace Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.

When asked about the speculation last month, Maresca dismissed it entirely, stating: “It doesn’t affect me at all because I know it’s 100 per cent speculation. In this moment, there is no time for these kinds of things, first of all because I have a contract here until 2029.

“I said many times, my focus is just about this club and I’m very proud to be here. It’s speculation. One week ago, in Italy, it was the same with Juventus. I don’t pay attention because I know it’s not true. Now it’s important to understand the reason why this news was there. But it’s not my job – I don’t care [about the speculation] at all.”