It’s the business end for Chelsea, as although the title race and relegation spots have been settled early, some huge games remain in the fight for Europe.
All eyes will be on the battle for a Champions League place over the final two weekends of the season, as it currently looks like five teams will be battling it out for the three spots behind Liverpool and Arsenal.
Chelsea are one of these sides seeking a return to Europe’s biggest club competition and it would appear that what happens over the next fortnight will have a huge say in what happens at the club this summer.
Chelsea board divided over Enzo Maresca future, with some favouring a sacking
Enzo Maresca landed the Chelsea job last summer, with the former Manchester City coach’s 2023/24 Championship-winning campaign with Leicester City catching the eye of the Stamford Bridge hierarchy, following Mauricio Pochettino’s exit. FourFourTwo ranked Maresca at no.44 in our list of the game's best managers back in October.
But Chelsea and managerial stability have often been mutually exclusive concepts in recent years and another change could be on the cards this summer, according to a report from TEAMtalk.
They claim that Maresca’s double-headed pursuit of a Champions League place and the Europa Conference League trophy could be ‘crucial’ in determining the Italian’s future.
The Blues currently sit fifth in the Premier League table, ahead of Aston Villa on goal difference and a point ahead of Nottingham Forest. Third-placed Newcastle United are three points clear of Chelsea, with Manchester City two points better off than Maresca’s side, who have matches against Manchester United and Forest to come, ahead of the Europa Conference League final against Real Betis.
The report adds that while these three games will be key for Maresca, there are members of the board that do not believe the manager’s slow, patient playing style suits the Premier League and want to see more consistency and identity.
While Maresca does have support from others on the board, the report claims Maresca ‘is not longer considered untouchable’.
A decision, therefore, will be made at the end of the season, with the club aware that Maresca still have four years of the five-year deal he signed last summer remaining, meaning he would be due significant compensation if the club do decide to swing the axe.
In FourFourTwo’s view, we are accustomed to not being surprised by Chelsea’s wheeling and dealing, whether that’s players or managers, but the Italian has done a solid job with a sprawling squad and should he get the club back into the Champions League, letting him go would be a questionable decision.
