The Italian has endured a tough start to his tenure on and off the pitch, but he has not helped himself with some bullish and conflicting remarks
It was never going to be plain sailing for Enzo Maresca after he assumed control at Chelsea this summer, but his first few weeks in the job proper will have been a confronting challenge nonetheless. A disappointing pre-season campaign has prefaced an underwhelming start to competitive action, all of which has come against the backdrop of more bewildering transfer business, with as many as 11 new faces arriving and a host of established names being pushed out the exit.
Although it's obviously early days, there is the sense that this period could make or break Maresca's tenure, as some members of the fanbase already begin to voice their discontent with both the way the club is being run and the new head coach's particular tactical approach.
For his part, Maresca has been bullish in the face of the early adversity, which has gone down well with those supporters who yearn for the days of Jose Mourinho. But it's increasingly evident that one of the toughest tasks facing him may well be reunifying a splintered fanbase, as others accuse him of being a 'puppet' for the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital ownership.
GettyMaresca the mouthpiece?
Having only really just gotten down to work in his new role, Maresca is already proving to be a divisive figure, with different factions emerging among match-going fans and those who peddle their opinions online.
A lot of those differences centre around whether the Italian should be supported by the fans no matter what as his time at the club gets under way, or whether supporters are within their rights to voice their frustrations with the way the club is being run despite his tenure being in its infancy.
That was reflected as some sections of Stamford Bridge chanted Conor Gallagher's name in protest in each of Chelsea's first two games of the season, after the academy graduate – who has become a fan favourite and was regularly stand-in captain last season – was effectively forced out of the club.
The question is whether the head coach is simply a mouthpiece for the ownership who is charged with defending their interests and decisions, or whether he has been given the power to make his own choices – but some early contradictions threaten to undermine his authority and make him something of a laughing stock as some label him a 'puppet' online.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesConcerning contradictions
Maresca's handling of the Raheem Sterling situation certainly raised eyebrows; speaking during pre-season, he said of the winger: "For sure, he is one of our important players, together with the rest."
Fast-forward three weeks and that stance had changed dramatically, as the 29-year-old was left out of the matchday squad for the Blues' Premier League opener against Man City and subsequently exiled from the first-team squad alongside Ben Chilwell.
"[Sterling and Chilwell] are training apart," Maresca revealed. "We have a big squad and it's impossible to give all of them minutes. If they are looking for minutes it's better for them to leave. It's not brutal, it's just honest." He added: "I am not saying Raheem is not a good player, but I prefer different kinds of wingers."
It was a U-turn that smacked of an intervention from above, with the club likely – and perhaps understandably – keen to shift his burdensome £325,000-per-week wages. But whatever the motivation and whether or not it was justified, this flip-flop has thrown the new head coach's authority into doubt.
Getty Images Sport'I'm here to take decisions'
'Brutal' seems to the buzzword in the early days of Maresca's reign; countless headlines have used it in reference to his treatment of the likes of Gallagher, Sterling, Chilwell and Trevoh Chalobah – all of whom have been made to train separately as their futures are taken out of their hands – and the tactician has already been forced to defend his words and actions.
He said in a recent press conference: "I am here to make decisions and decide what the best is for the team. I am not here to talk about how many years contract. It’s not my job. If it’s six year contract, or a 20-year contract, I don’t care. I’m just here to make the right decisions for the team."
However, even that assertion is at odds with his words from pre-season, where he blamed the controversial decision to sell Cobham graduates like Gallagher and Chalobah on the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). "The clubs are compelled to sell [academy] players because of the rules," he said. "It's not a Chelsea problem, it is a Premier League problem. The intention from Chelsea is not to sell – but the rules in the end make us. If we want to promote academy players – yes, change the rule."
Getty'Not the mess that it looks like'
Chelsea, and by proxy Maresca, have been ridiculed as their frenzied transfer business (11 new arrivals to date) has seen the number of players on their books to soar beyond 40. However, the head coach arguably hasn't helped the situation by defending the approach and not acknowledging the absurdity of the club owning so many players, even if they aren't in the first-team picture.
"The noise is more outside, because I'm working with 21 or 22 players," he said recently. "I'm not working with 42 or 43 players. You like to say we have 42 or 43 players but more than 15 players are training apart, they are not with the team.
"Today's session is with 20 players. Yesterday's session was with 21. But the other 15 or 20, they are training apart. Chelsea players, yes, 42 or 43, sure, but they are not working with me every day. I don't see them so it's not a mess like it looks from outside. Absolutely not."
This flimsy defence of the haphazard approach to the window by those above him in the hierarchy will do little to dispel the accusations that he is simply acting as a mouthpiece for Boehly and Co.