Why Chelsea Should Hold Off on Replacing Enzo Maresca with Andoni Iraola
The club executives should wait until at least Christmas to fire Enzo Maresca, even if he is “on thin ice” at Chelsea—which we doubt, to see if the manager they are considering replacing him can reverse a concerning pattern that should cast doubt on his hiring.
In a season filled with ups and downs, Chelsea is now ranked ninth in the Premier League standings and eleventh in the Champions League.
Maresca is a coach who can skilfully steer his young players through difficult situations one minute, but he is ill-prepared to do so the next.
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Levi Colwill and Cole Palmer’s significant absences, a hangover from their Club World Cup victory, and the four red cards given to Chelsea players this season have all contributed to their injury crisis, which has been added to the necessary youngest squad caveat for their inconsistency.
After Chelsea had only gained one point from three Premier League games against Brentford, Manchester United, and Brighton at the end of September, Fabrizio Romano stated that the Blues executives still have “full trust” in Maresca.
“There are a lot of enquiries regarding Chelsea’s performances and the situation involving Enzo Maresca and Chelsea. According to what I understand, Chelsea fully believes in Enzo Maresca.
They think he’s the best candidate for this endeavour. Thus, Chelsea continues to defend, support, and encourage their manager.
He is “on thin ice” with the Chelsea leadership, who are eager to replace him with Andoni Iraola, according to X account Indykaila News, which bills itself as a “team of 5 elite reporters” and has broken some significant, real stories in addition to uttering some complete crap.
“Exclusive.” We are aware that @ChelseaFC is preparing to sign Andoni Iraola. They think Andoni Iraola will emerge as one of the top football managers in the world. Sources claim that Enzo Maresca is on thin ice with several #cfc officials.
Maresca has some leeway after winning two trophies the previous season, and he has plenty of justifications for what appears to be lethargy at Stamford Bridge given the young players, lots of new players, and the absence of Palmer for the majority of this awful period.
Additionally, if Iraola is Chelsea’s favoured replacement, they should hold off on hiring him even if they decide to fire him.
Because, although the Spaniard is unquestionably the “in vogue” Premier League manager with his Bournemouth team comfortably in second place, that was also the case at the end of January following an 11-game winning streak that included seven victories to qualify for the Champions League, before one victory in nine games saw them finish in mid-table.
In December 2023, following a run of six victories and a draw in seven games, he was connected to larger and better positions.
However, that came after he had lost all nine of his games as manager, followed by seven more games without a victory. Bournemouth has become the most volatile team in the Premier League because to Iraola.
If Iraola hasn’t figured out a way to avoid those oscillations, Chelsea waiting until Christmas to decide on Maresca would give enough time for one of those usually wild swings in form that have been the hallmark of his time at Bournemouth along with the excellent, fast-paced football he has them playing.
If he has, he might be the ideal candidate for Chelsea or any other elite team looking to replace their manager because Bournemouth would face a higher calibre of opponents during that time.
Iraola’s team has only played three of their nine games against teams in the top half of the Premier League standings thus far this season, which may indicate that the Cherries are in a false position.
Although it doesn’t appear likely that Maresca will be fired anytime soon, the Chelsea management must give Iraola till Christmas to demonstrate that he has broken a concerning pattern of notable lows after dizzying highs in the hopes that he is the best candidate to succeed him at Stamford Bridge.
Because a volatile manager overseeing their volatile players is exactly what the Blues don’t need.
