Enzo Maresca enjoyed a positive first season since joining Chelsea but the Italian has been warned that he might find his position under question should he not secure a trophy this season
Chelsea icon Joe Cole believes Enzo Maresca could soon be under pressure from Blues owners should the Italian not put together a title challenge this season. The former Manchester City coach only arrived at Stamford Bridge last summer and enjoyed a productive debut campaign.
He lifted the Conference League title, secured a top four position and also won the Club World Cup. But Cole believes that might not be enough for the club’s owners this season.
Speaking to Paddy Power, he said: “This is season four under this ownership. There are two trophies, albeit new trophies that don’t carry the same weight as a Premier League, an FA Cup, a Champions League, or even a League Cup.
“But they have delivered trophies, and they’ve restructured the whole club financially. This season, the expectation has to be for Chelsea to comfortably get into the Champions League position and mount a challenge in the league.
“I don’t think the squad’s strong enough to compete with Arsenal. I’m happy to go on record saying that now, they won’t win the league.
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“Chelsea needs to be comfortably in the Champions League and closer to the top of the league than they were last year for this season to be considered a success. And next season, they have to be winning the big trophies, because that would be five seasons into this project.
“You have to go with the owners, this is what they are, this is the restructuring of the club. Whether you like it or not, this is where it is at.
“I try and explain it with my best knowledge of how football clubs work, reading between the lines, because obviously the owners can’t come out and go, ‘Listen, we’re not going gung-ho like we did before, trying to win these big trophies, because we’ve got to fit within a financial model.’
“They’re not going to say that, because it’s not a good soundbite. From what I understand, that’s what they’ve had to do, and the club wasn’t in a great position financially, so they’ve had to be a bit more clever with how they operate.”
What have you made to Chelsea’s start to the season? Share your thoughts in the comments below
Chelsea have had a mixed start to the season so far. The Blues have won four of their opening nine games, leaving them ninth in the table ahead of this weekend’s clash with London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
They have however managed to reach the quarter finals of the League Cup and enjoyed a positive start to their Champions League campaign.
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Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
