Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, in his post-match comments after the Blues’ latest Premier League outing, mentioned that he did not feel supported. This led to speculation in the media and among fans.
An inside source from the club has now revealed that the comments stem from an internal issue between Maresca and the club’s administration.
Chelsea beat Everton 2-0 on Saturday to break a four-game winless streak. The Blues had been unable to pick up a win in all competitions since their 3-0 victory over Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League, and so, the victory meant a lot to them.
Cole Palmer also returned to the score sheet in the game with his 39th Premier League goal for the Stamford Bridge outfit, which caused extra celebrations at the club.
Maresca, instead of expressing total relief at the victory or his happiness at breaking the winless streak, chose instead to reference issues with the club.
“This is the reason why I praise the players because with so many problems they are doing very well after a complicated week,” said Maresca.
“The last 48 hours have been the worst 48 hours since I joined the club because many people didn’t support us.”
When asked what he meant, the former Leicester City manager repeated his comments while praising the fans. “The last 48 hours have been the worst 48 hours since I joined in general,” he said, before adding, “I love the fans, and I am very happy with the fans.”
Further investigations into his comments have now revealed that the Italian was indeed referring to an issue with the club’s administration. Some sources also claim that these issues have been building for quite some time.
Maresca, who joined the Blues last season and claimed both the UEFA Europa Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup, has won 54 of the 88 games he has taken charge of since assuming the role of Chelsea manager.
His comments come as a surprise to many, and Alan Shearer has weighed in on the issue.
“He wants us to talk about that [the post-match comments],” said Shearer. “He’s directing that at the board or the owners. And my guess is he doesn’t feel he’s getting the protection after a defeat, like they had in midweek, and obviously that hurts him.”
The Blues will be in action in midweek in the EFL (Carabao) Cup against Cardiff City. The media will try to get more information out of the man in the pre-match press conference.
It also remains to be seen how the club will respond to the Italian’s claims of not being supported despite his good record with the Premier League’s youngest team.