Chelsea board ‘divided’ over Maresca sack decision with ‘serious reservations about his style of play’

Some of the Chelsea hierarchy are ready to part company with Enzo Maresca in a divided Blues boardroom, according to reports.

Chelsea beat Fulham 2-1 on Sunday to keep their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season alive with Maresca’s side currently sixth in the Premier League table.

At one point earlier in the season, Chelsea were being talked up as outsiders for a potential title challenge after making a good start to the new campaign.

However, Cole Palmer’s downturn in form, which has seen him fail to score a goal in his last 16 matches for the Blues, coinciding with a drop off from Chelsea.

It is six Premier League wins in 12 matches since Palmer last scored a goal for Chelsea and they now find themselves two points off the top five – who all qualify for the Champions League – with five games remaining.

That has put Maresca under massive pressure with Mauricio Pochettino getting sacked last summer after guiding Chelsea to a sixth-placed finish.

And now Caught Offside claims that Maresca’s future is ‘no longer secure as we approach the end of his first season in charge at Stamford Bridge’.

The report claims:

‘Sources close to the situation have informed CaughtOffside that there is some degree of division among senior figures at Chelsea about whether or not to continue with Maresca.

Caught Offside adds:

‘Despite signing a five-year contract, it now seems Maresca’s time with Chelsea could be cut short as the club wait to see how the campaign finishes.

‘Champions League qualification and a win in the Europa Conference League could help Maresca, but CaughtOffside understands there are serious reservations about his style of play.’

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The report continues:

‘CaughtOffside understands there are concerns about how slow Chelsea’s build-up play has been, while the considerable dip in form from star player Cole Palmer has also raised eyebrows.

‘If Chelsea cannot finish strongly, then there could be real danger for Maresca, with Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali showing they’re not afraid to chop and change managers on a regular basis.’

But Chelsea legend Frank Leboeuf reckons Maresca’s job is safe whether the Blues make the top five in the Premier League or not.

Leboeuf told BetVictor Casino: “I don’t think finishing in the top five is the main target for the Chelsea board. They’re more concerned with singing young players, improving them, and selling them on for more. That’s their trading system.

“I don’t think Enzo Maresca will be sacked if Chelsea don’t finish in the top five. They have already swapped Thomas Tuchel for Graham Potter, Potter for Mauricio Pochettino, and Pochettino for Maresca. I think they’re starting to realise that simply changing the manager doesn’t change anything.

“There is no point in changing the manager again if they haven’t got a better squad to work with.”

READ: Who will be the next Premier League manager to be sacked?

On Palmer’s form, Leboeuf added: “I think Cole Palmer’s dip in form comes down to is age. He is still young, and he is going to have periods where he is not at his best.

“No one really expected him to reach such a high level during his time at Chelsea, especially not Pep Guardiola or he wouldn’t have let him go! After a year and a half of being simply exceptional, it is normal that he will have a slight dip.

“Everybody knows that he has something special, and he will come back to his best once he regains his confidence. I have no doubt that he will be back to his best soon.

“He’s different to other players who came out of nowhere, like Ansu Fati. He was unbelievable when he broke through at Barcelona, then went on loan to Brighton and hardly existed there. That will not be the case for Palmer. He has such a bright future, and I will always back him because I think he is special.

“It is hard to be so young and have so much pressure on you, holding all the responsibility in the middle of the pitch for a club as big as Chelsea. When he doesn’t play well, neither do his teammates, so that’s a lot of pressure.”