Enzo Maresca leaves Chelsea after just 18 months as manager

Enzo Maresca’s departure from Chelsea marked a dramatic fall from grace for the Italian, who was named manager of the month in November before the team lost just one of their previous seven league games, causing them to lose the Premier League title race.

Enzo Maresca, the head coach of Chelsea Football Club, and the club announced a joint venture on Thursday, according to a statement from the league.

After leading Leicester City to Premier League promotion in 2024, Maresca, who joined Chelsea in 2024, has spent the next two years helping the club regain its fortunes.

In his first season with a young but expensive squad, he ultimately led the London side to UEFA Champions League qualification with a fourth-place finish, the Conference League trophy, and the Club World Cup title.

Poor run of form

However, the club hierarchy took action and parted ways with the 45-year-old manager following a poor December run of form and an uncharacteristic outburst from the Italian.

Enzo and the club believe a change has the best chance of getting the season back on track because “important objectives remain to be met across four competitions, including Champions League football,” according to the Chelsea statement.

Chelsea, who had already defeated Barcelona 3-3 in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge, placed third in the standings in November. They were also confident in their title hopes.

At the halfway point of the season, they have since fallen to fifth place in the league, 15 points behind leaders Arsenal.

‘ Worst 48 hours ‘

Maresca expressed frustration over issues that were unresolved behind the scenes last month, describing a period following Everton’s 2-0 victory as “the worst 48 hours” of his tenure.

The Italian did not elaborate on what he meant, but it appeared that Chelsea’s downward trend had caused the damage.

Chelsea won only two points in their final three Premier League games despite defeating Cardiff City to advance to the semifinals.

Off the field, Maresca’s mention of his commitment to Chelsea, where he had a contract until 2029, added to the unwelcome distraction of denying any connections to the Manchester City job.

But his final game in charge of Bournemouth ended in a 2-2 home draw with the hosts, where fans yelled “You don’t know what you’re doing” as he replaced playmaker Cole Palmer while booing at the final whistle.