“Your days are numbered at Chelsea” – Mikel Obi reveals when Enzo Maresca will be sacked if he doesn’t change things around
Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel has criticised Enzo Maresca’s tactics and questioned the club’s direction following their disappointing 3-0 defeat to Brighton.
The former Blues midfielder accused Maresca of implementing a system that is not suited to the Premier League and warned that Chelsea’s struggles could see them miss out on Champions League football.
Mikel was particularly unimpressed with the idea that Chelsea should take two years to rebuild under Maresca.
Speaking on his podcast, he angrily dismissed that notion:
“Who the f has told them that? Are you fing kidding me? This is Chelsea Football Club.”
Mikel stressed that Chelsea cannot afford to settle for a long-term project and took a swipe at Maresca’s previous experience.
“You can’t be ahead of the f*ing schedule. This is the f*ing Chelsea Football Club. No disrespect to Leicester where he’s coming from, this is f*ing Chelsea Football Club. We are a Champions League football club, that’s what we are.”
He continued, emphasising Chelsea’s history and reputation in European football:
“He can’t come out and say if the club employ you, if they’ve told you that, no, mate. This is a Champions League football club. We’ve always been in the Champions League. I can swear to you right now I’ve never watched a f*ing game in the Conference League. I’ve never watched it, I don’t care about it, that’s not who we are.”
Mikel also hit out at Maresca’s public comments about Chelsea not being Premier League contenders, suggesting that the mindset has negatively affected the squad.
“I think that comment that the manager made that we are not contenders to win the Premier League, that has got into the players’ heads and the whole thing since then has been a f*ing disaster. We have no clue what we’re doing.”
Mikel’s strong words reflect growing frustration among Chelsea fans as the team continues to struggle under Maresca’s leadership. With the pressure mounting, the Italian manager may need to respond quickly to prove that his vision for the club is the right one