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\n Enzo Maresca and coach Danny Walker look on during Chelsea\u2019s Carabao Cup quarter-final win at Cardiff (Nick Potts\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
It just prompted more questions over what is going on with Maresca.\u00a0 In constructing this article, The Athletic has spoken to a number of sources who, unless otherwise noted, all asked to be kept anonymous in order to protect relationships.<\/p>\n
What happened?<\/p>\n
During a routine post-match press conference following Chelsea\u2019s 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday, Maresca revealed he had just experienced the worst 48 hours of his career at Stamford Bridge. He referred to a lack of support for him and his team.<\/p>\n
Chelsea\u2019s head coach had not been provoked into a reaction from a tough line of questioning, but reacted to a simple query over Malo Gusto scoring and assisting a goal in the match.<\/p>\n
Maresca did not clarify who he was referring to, saying it was \u2018in general\u2019 and that he loved the fans. It sparked a lot of speculation from a number of quarters that there are issues between him and the Chelsea hierarchy.<\/p>\n
During his next encounter with the media on Monday to preview the Carabao Cup tie versus Cardiff City, the Italian refused to take the opportunity to explain his actions any further or admit any regret over what he said<\/a>.<\/p>\n Given how often senior officials converse with Maresca after matches, it seemed significant that he admitted there had been no communication since Everton or following the Cardiff victory. When asked if any conversations had taken place, he said: \u201cNo, as I said yesterday, the day after Everton, I started to prepare for Cardiff, focus on Cardiff. Now I just said, on the bus I will watch Newcastle (to prepare for the Premier League game between the two sides on Saturday) and I didn\u2019t speak with one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n Was this a shock?<\/p>\n The journalists in the room were not the only ones surprised by what they heard on Saturday afternoon. One Chelsea source speaking to The Athletic\u00a0suggested Maresca had had an \u2018emotional response to an emotional win\u2019.<\/p>\n Further conversations with Chelsea sources have revealed that those at the club genuinely did not see it coming. They suggested that nothing of note had happened over the previous two days to spark such an outburst.<\/p>\n \n Enzo Maresca reacted after the win over Everton (Justin Setterfield\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Why did Maresca choose to make a statement?<\/p>\n This is a very good question and one he has refused to answer so far. Maresca has made a point of keeping the reasons away from the public domain.<\/p>\n According to Chelsea sources, they are not sure as to the reasons why or who he was referring to. Maresca has tried to insist the matter is closed as far as he is concerned, but the speculation will inevitably continue.<\/p>\n Maresca has been criticised by fans. Were they the focus of his ire?<\/p>\n Well, he insisted they were not on Saturday, saying, \u201cI am very happy with the fans.\u201d<\/p>\n There is seemingly quite a split in the fanbase among those who are pro or against the Italian being in charge. Naturally, there was a lot more criticism on social media after the disappointing results and performances prior to the Everton fixture, against Leeds United (3-1 loss), Bournemouth (0-0 draw) and Atalanta (2-1 defeat).<\/p>\n But it was only a few weeks earlier that Maresca was being heralded for masterminding a 3-0 victory over Barcelona and a 1-1 draw against Premier League leaders Arsenal despite being down to 10 men for nearly an hour.<\/p>\n The media, including The Athletic, also judged those three Chelsea displays negatively and rightly so. If Maresca was unhappy with the treatment, he could have easily said something on Friday, Saturday or Monday, but did not do so. In fact, on Monday, he stressed how \u2018everyone is entitled to their opinion\u2019 and added: \u201cI\u2019m not annoyed with all of you.\u201d However, that does leave the door open to suggest there are some in the industry he is not best pleased with.<\/p>\n A lot of theories are based on the idea that something must have happened at the club, but as pointed out above, Chelsea sources insist there has been no confrontation to spark all this.<\/p>\n The mood at the club a few weeks ago was very upbeat, with Chelsea doing well in the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup, and it is not going to dramatically shift after just three matches, even if they did not go as planned. Chelsea showed their backing for Maresca when he went through a much worse run of form between December and late February last season, picking up just nine Premier League points out of 30 and being knocked out of the FA Cup by Brighton & Hove Albion.<\/p>\n When asked by reporters about his relationship with the owners on Monday, he replied, \u201cIt\u2019s OK, it\u2019s good.\u201d Pressed on whether it is as good as it has always been, he added, \u201cI think so, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n His going over to acknowledge the away supporters with the players at full-time in Cardiff, and the manner of his warm interaction with them, would appear to be further indication the source of his angst lies elsewhere<\/p>\n Are there any issues behind the scenes?<\/p>\n The club are not acting in any different way than when Maresca was hired in June 2024.<\/p>\n Chelsea\u2019s structure is akin to Liverpool\u2019s in that the strategy, including transfers, is led by the sporting directors. There are five in all at Stamford Bridge, but Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart head up the team.<\/p>\n Maresca is kept in the loop on transfers, but his role is geared towards coaching.<\/p>\n In the summer window, he did ask for a centre-back to be signed after defender Levi Colwill suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury to rule him out for most \u2014 if not all \u2014 of the season. But multiple Chelsea sources have told The Athletic that this request was denied because there were still plenty of centre-backs to choose from. Last week, The Athletic reported that Chelsea also did not want to block the pathway of Josh Acheampong<\/a>.<\/p>\n The same sources say the matter was resolved a long time ago and played no part in this.<\/p>\n It is customary for Maresca to have a debrief with the sporting leadership team after matches \u2014 this is standard procedure whether Chelsea win or lose.<\/p>\n Chelsea have always planned to conduct a review at the end of Maresca\u2019s second season \u2014 next summer \u2014 about everything going on. That has not changed either.<\/p>\n Maresca made it clear on Monday that he just wants to move on from what took place, and Chelsea sources say that is the view shared within the club.<\/p>\n Could the load management policy be a problem?<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2251815457-scaled.jpg\")
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