“He could be sacked tonight” – Enzo Maresca receive clear Chelsea message ahead of Southampton clash
Chelsea’s poor form in recent months has seen them tumble down the Premier League table and pressure is mounting on Enzo Maresca ahead of several winnable fixtures.
The Italian saw the Blues lose yet again at the weekend as they gave up a 1-0 lead at Aston Villa to eventually lose 2-1. Maresca had made an instant impact at Stamford Bridge and, come Christmas, had the west Londoners sitting within touching distance of top spot.
Since then though their form has nosedived and Chelsea have gone from title contenders to top-four hopefuls. The Blues, since beating Brentford on December 15, have won just two of their ten games, which includes losses to the likes of Ipswich and Fulham.
The next assignments for the Blues are Southampton and then Leicester – who are both sat in the bottom three. Both games are at Stamford Bridge and Paul Merson insists anything less than six points will result in Maresca getting the boot.
Merson said on Sky Sports: “If they don’t win the next two games, the manager will be gone. They’re playing against two of the worst Premier League teams in I don’t know how long, Southampton and Leicester.
“So if they don’t win these two matches, he’ll be doing everything he can to hold on to his job. Chelsea have got to get in the Champions League. They need the Champions League to keep players like Cole Palmer as he will want to play in that competition.
“They will have to finish in the top five, otherwise I dread to think what’s going to happen. I just don’t see what the plan is. All the seven-year contracts and these players are not getting any better. How many of them have been a major success?”