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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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from the Premier League match between Chelsea and Bournemouth
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
Are there problems behind the scenes at Chelsea?
Sky Sports News chief correspondent Kaveh Solhekol:
“There appears to be something wrong at Chelsea. Back in November, they were flying high after beating Barcelona in the Champions League, but since then they have won just two of nine games.
“There was a self-inflicting wound with the comments made after Chelsea beat Everton where he said 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. He didn’t need to make those comments but that lifted the lid on there being things behind the scenes not quite right at Chelsea.
“When you are at Chelsea you are not the manager, you are the head coach and you have to fit into the structure that has been put in place at the club. There are sporting directors that Maresca has to work closely with and there has to be a team behind the team.
“The question is: Is that team united or are there problems behind the scenes in that team? Can those problems be sorted?
“The other question I’d ask is whether those problems are affecting performances and results?
“With the quality of players Chelsea have in their squad and with the performances we have seen against Barcelona and against Arsenal, they have a very good squad, but for whatever reason, now, Maresca is not getting the best out of those players.
“You can feel that at Stamford Bridge. You can feel the disconnect between the team and the fans and it needs to be turned around very quickly.”
Analysis: Maresca and Chelsea have not taken chance to kick on
Sky Sports’ Ron Walker:
“At the end of last season it felt as though there was a chance to build something, as Enzo Maresca led a young Chelsea squad back to the Champions League, then the Conference League and Club World Cup titles.
“How much of that progress has been made six months on? Judging by the boos during and after the Blues’ latest poor result against Bournemouth, not a great deal.
“Looking at the Premier League table, this seems a harsh assessment, with Chelsea well in the mix for a Champions League spot.
“But much like when Frank Lampard became the final managerial casualty of the Roman Abramovich era, it is the direction of travel which is the problem. At the midway point of 2025/26 they are five points worse off than at this point last year and drifting.
“Maresca finds himself held responsible for most, though not all of the underlying issues. Over-rotation has been a long-term bugbear – Chelsea have made 55 line-up changes this season, with rock-bottom Wolves the only other side with more than 50.
“Not all of that is due to his own faults. The squad remains woefully short of strength in depth in certain areas, and short of experience almost throughout – the starting line-up against Bournemouth was the youngest named in any Premier League match this season.
“Maresca was rightly lauded for his tactics to win the Club World Cup in the summer, but little progress has been made on that front more widely. He has referred to himself as a big-game manager – and victories against Liverpool and Barcelona at Stamford Bridge this season, plus a creditable 10-man draw with Arsenal, are fair testament.
“But this run of seven points from 21 has included a defeat to Leeds and four points dropped against a Bournemouth side winless in nine. It would likely have also counted a loss at Newcastle had Trevoh Chalobah been penalised for what appeared a blatant penalty.
“There have been moments where a connection looked to be building between Maresca and the fanbase. The two trophies last season and the jubilant scenes after the win at Tottenham earlier this season spring to mind.
“But prickly comments in public have not helped create the us-against-the-world mindset these fans have felt under Jose Mourinho, Thomas Tuchel and even Frank Lampard in the last two decades.
“Ultimately, results alone will be what can turn this around for Maresca. That is the cold hard currency which buys coaches time at Chelsea.”
Chelsea’s January fixtures as crucial month looms for Maresca…
Can Enzo Maresca improve Chelsea’s results in January?
The Blues have some tough fixtures coming up…
Sunday January 4: Man City (A) – Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm (live on Sky Sports)Wednesday January 7: Fulham (A) – Premier League, kick-off 7.30pm (live on Sky Sports)Saturday January 10: Charlton (A) – FA Cup, kick-off 8pm (live on Sky Sports)Wednesday January 14: Arsenal (H) – Carabao Cup, kick-off 8pm (live on Sky Sports)Saturday January 17: Brentford (H) – Premier League, kick-off 3pmWednesday January 21: Pafos (H) – Champions League, kick-off 8pmSunday January 25: Crystal Palace (A) – Premier League, kick-off 2pm (live on Sky Sports)Wednesday January 28: Napoli (A) – Champions League, kick-off 8pmSaturday January 31: West Ham (H) – Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm (live on Sky Sports)
