Chelsea Head Coach, Enzo Maresca makes a U-Turn, declares the London team‘s vision is to claim a UCL spot at the end of the season by finishing Top 4 at the 2023/24 English Premier League.
Speaking in the pre-Aston Villa press conference, Maresca announced the club’s ambition amid the team’s poor run after losing to Brighton back to back.
“I am ambitious. The club is ambitious. Nothing has changed [from two months ago when we were winning – manager, players, owners, sporting directors], other than, unfortunately, we are dealing with many injuries and that has affected the level of the team.”
“We now have 13 games to go. The target is to finish in the top four, to finish in the best way.”
”Knowing the difficult moments we have now is probably one of the most important reasons why is because of the injury situation. Significant players are out.”
“The team spirit in this moment has to be upset. We are upset because we are not happy with the results in this moment, We are all aware where we are in a club… we are not here to survive, we are here to win titles and fight for that…”
“The only thing I can say that… every time the fans have been behind us, we really appreciate.”
”We are sure with the fans behind us we can achieve our target. I think winning our seven at home can be enough to finish in the top four.”
Club Director Makes Bold Statement on Maresca’s Future Amid Dismal Run”
Chelsea’s season is spiraling, but manager Enzo Maresca’s job is reportedly safe—for now.
Despite a disastrous run of form that has seen the Blues plummet from title contention to sixth place in the Premier League, club director Jonathan Goldstein has publicly backed the Italian coach, insisting he is “100%” staying until the end of the season.
Enzo Maresca, who arrived from Leicester City last summer, looked to be a revelation in his early months at Stamford Bridge, guiding Chelsea into an unexpected title race alongside Liverpool and Arsenal before Christmas. However, since their 2-0 victory over Brentford on December 15, the Blues have managed just two league wins in nine matches, suffering a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in their most recent outing.
For a club notorious for its ruthless approach to managerial appointments, such a slump would normally signal the beginning of the end for a coach. However, Goldstein, a key figure in the BlueCo consortium that owns Chelsea, has shut down speculation of an imminent change.
“Maresca is not going anywhere”
Speaking to Bloomberg TV, Goldstein praised Maresca’s work, despite Chelsea’s alarming drop in form.
“He’s doing a great job,” Goldstein stated. “Chelsea started the season very well. The past six weeks have been about finding their feet a little bit more. But Enzo has clearly done a great job in bringing the team together and developing talent.”
When pressed on whether Maresca would remain in charge until the end of the season, Goldstein’s response was emphatic: “100%.”
The firm backing comes as Chelsea prepare for a crucial clash against Aston Villa on Saturday—one that could have major implications for their European qualification hopes.
A season on the brink?
At the start of the campaign, Maresca was quick to downplay Chelsea’s title chances, insisting that securing a top-four finish was the club’s primary objective. But with his team now drifting outside the Champions League spots, pressure is mounting on the Italian to turn things around quickly.
Despite Goldstein’s public support, Chelsea fans will be all too aware that the club’s owners have a history of swift managerial changes when results take a downturn. The backing may be firm for now—but whether Maresca can survive beyond this season may ultimately depend on how Chelsea respond in the coming weeks.
