Club remain bemused by head coach creating speculation he has issues with the hierarchy who want to avoid drama at all costs
O
ne of the theories doing the rounds this week is that Enzo Maresca is behaving like someone who wants to be sacked. He has stumbled into a fight he cannot win. It did not go down well with Chelsea when Maresca lobbed a grenade into the mix by talking about not being supported enough after last Saturday’s humdrum win against Everton and it is hard not to read his refusal to defuse the situation since then as the stance of a man daring his bosses to act.
Chelsea remain bemused by their head coach creating speculation that he has issues with the club’s hierarchy by saying that the 48 hours before the Everton game had been his worst since joining the club. Sources say the outburst even caught people close to Maresca by surprise. Confusion reigns. It does not help that Maresca has publicly and privately rejected repeated opportunities to explain the source of his discontent, leaving it open for outsiders to assume that the Italian’s issues are with Chelsea’s hierarchy.
No wonder this was all anyone wanted to talk about before Chelsea’s trip to Newcastle on Saturday. Rumours of Manchester City identifying Maresca as a potential replacement for Pep Guardiola next summer were deliciously timed. It has been noted that Maresca’s new agent, Jorge Mendes, is close to Hugo Viana, City’s sporting director. There is speculation that the links with City have emboldened Maresca and form an attempt to gain more power at Chelsea, who have built a structure that leaves no room for a manager to call the shots.
