Exclusive: Former Chelsea Star Reveals the Reason Behind Enzo Maresca’s Recent Struggles | OneFootball

Former Chelsea Star on Enzo Maresca Pressure and Recent Struggles

Chelsea’s season so far has been tainted with long stretches of inconsistency. At Christmas, they were tipped as potential title challengers alongside Liverpool and Arsenal, but now they find themselves down in fourth place and in a battle to secure Champions League football next season.

Enzo Maresca’s side currently sit two points above Manchester City and Newcastle United and just three points ahead of AFC Bournemouth. They’ve won just two of their last eight Premier League games, dropping points against the likes of Ipswich Town, Everton, Fulham and Crystal Palace.

Former Chelsea midfielder Gus Poyet spoke exclusively to EPL Index and shared his thoughts on the club’s progress under Maresca…

Photo: IMAGO

Looking at the Season so Far…

“At the start of the season, nobody really knew what to expect,” said Poyet, “But after a slow start there was a lot of improvement.”

Chelsea lost their opening league game to Manchester City, suffering a 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge, but followed that up with a huge 6-2 away win over Wolves.

They then followed that result up with a 2-1 defeat to Servette in the UEFA Conference League, before a 1-1 home draw with Crystal Palace.

After getting themselves in and around the title battle, they went five games without a win in the Premier League and even dropping out of the top four for a period of time.

Reasons Behind the Dip in Form

“It’s very difficult to maintain such a high level, especially with so many young players,” pointed out Poyet.

It’s no secret that Chelsea have an incredibly young squad, with their standout performers being the likes of Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo and Nicolas Jackson. None of those players are over the age of 23-years-old.

Photo IMAGO

In fact, Chelsea currently boast the youngest squad in the entire league with an average age of 23.5. They’re comfortably in front of second-placed Brighton, with an average age of 24.4.

Reacting Quickly

“The most important thing is how quick you react,” said Poyet, “You can’t afford to let the bad run of form last too long.”

“Let’s compare with Manchester City,” continued Poyet, “Their poor run of form has gone on for far too long, so Chelsea need to cut this form off before it ends up like that.”

Photo: IMAGO

Maresca’s side face a tricky couple of fixtures over the next couple of weeks too, firstly with an away trip to face Brighton, who only beat them in the FA Cup just last week.

The Blues then travel to face Aston Villa the following week, before huge clashes against the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur later in March and April.

Pressure on Maresca?

“No, I don’t think so,” began Poyet, “By seeing how the club and the players have already improved under him, I don’t think he is under any pressure at all.”

Poyet was also keen to jokingly point out the cut-throat nature of Chelsea’s past with previous managers, saying: “I mean, at Chelsea anything can happen, but for me no!”

Qualification for the UEFA Champions League surely remains the key aim for the rest of the season, but with tricky fixtures remaining, Maresca will certainly have his work cut out.

As Poyet rightly points out, the quicker Chelsea can build up some momentum, the better it will be for the chances of success for the remainder of the campaign.