Enzo Maresca’s job as Chelsea manager is under no immediate threat despite growing pressure from the Blues faithful after Sunday’s deflating 2-2 draw against Ipswich Town.
The Daily Mail reports that Maresca still has the backing of the club’s hierarchy, but he risked riling the fans after his recent comments about the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea went 2-0 down to Ipswich inside half an hour, and Maresca hinted that negativity in the crowd played a massive role in the second goal.
After a couple of horrendous passes from Robert Sanchez early on, the home crowd got nervy whenever the Spanish keeper tried building out from the back.
He then decided to go long from a goal kick – a decision that backfired as Ipswich hit Chelsea on the transition, allowing Ben Johnson to slot home a second goal for Kieran McKenna’s side.
Despite heading into the break with a shocking two-goal deficit, Chelsea showed plenty of resilience to draw 2-2 courtesy of an own-goal from Axel Tuanzebe and a stunner from Jadon Sancho.
However, that wasn’t enough to overshadow the overall mood of disappointment at full-time.
The draw was a huge blow to Chelsea’s Champions League aspirations, but they are still focused on finishing the campaign strongly.
The club’s hierarchy is not entertaining the idea of making another managerial switch.
However, the reaction to Maresca’s post-match remarks has highlighted a disconnect with fans.
Many supporters were taken aback by his criticism, especially during a crucial stage of the season.
While frustrations are understandable, some people believe directing blame toward the crowd was misjudged.
Co-owner Behdad Eghbali and sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart made their customary visit to the dressing room after the match.
It’s understood that the leadership team is still behind Maresca and optimistic about the club’s direction under his leadership, but the coming weeks will be decisive.
