"The worst 48 hours" bombshell + no-show press conference, Chelsea manager was eventually dismissed... It was not a "low performance" but a "leadership conflict."

*This content was translated by AI.

Coach Enzo Maresca (46) eventually resigned as head coach of Chelsea.

Chelsea officially announced on the 2nd (Korea Standard Time) that they had parted ways with Maresca.

The ostensible reason for the replacement is poor performance. Chelsea said, "We had to achieve important goals in four tournaments, including qualifying for the UEFA Champions League. "I made the best choice to get the team back on track," he explained.

Coach Maresca, who took the helm of Chelsea in June 2024, will leave the team after a year and a half without meeting the contract period until the summer of 2029.

There were also achievements during his tenure. He won the UEFA Conference League (UECL) and FIFA Club World Cup last year.

However, he is ranked fifth with 30 points (8 wins, 6 draws and 5 losses) this season. In particular, he fell into a sharp slump in December, with only one win in the last seven league games. It was 15 points apart from the first-runner Arsenal and moved away from the championship race. In the UCL League phase, he is tied for 13th among the 36 teams with 10 points (3 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses). There were good games, including a 3-0 victory over Barcelona, but they slowed down after losing to Bayern Munich and Atalanta recently.

In addition to poor performance, rumors of discord with the club were the decisive reason for the resignation. Shortly after winning against Everton last month, Maresca said: "The last 48 hours have been my worst time since I came to Chelsea. A lot of people didn't support me," he said in a bombshell. The team's leaders were reportedly outraged by his public dissatisfaction with the team's victory.

Coach Maresca had a friction with the medical team over the appointment of players. Chelsea has a strict time limit for players with injury history, including Reece James and Wesley Fofana. However, Maresca tried to use the players under the manager's authority, and the club blocked it.

Coach Marsca, who deepened his conflict goal, missed the official press conference just before the break-up because he was "not feeling well" after the match against Bournemouth (2-2 draw). The club effectively accepted this as a protest, and eventually announced the dismissal a day later.

Strasbourg coach Liam Rossini and Porto coach Francesco Parisioli are mentioned as candidates for Chelsea's next coach. The match against Manchester City on the 4th is expected to be made quickly after a temporary system.

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*This content was translated by AI.