Chelsea's Club World Cup Victory Marked the Downfall of Enzo Maresca – A Case of Delusion for Him and His Superiors

Table of Contents

• The Downward Spiral
• The Thrilling Victory
• Delusions of Grandeur
• Coaching Carousel
• Management Changes
• Current State of Affairs
• Conclusion

It was inevitably a downhill journey for Chelsea as soon as they reached the pinnacle of the football world.

The exhilarating final victory over Paris Saint-Germain provided co-owner Behdad Eghbali and other Blues executives with hope that their model could succeed.

They believed that by buying and selling players like stocks, they could still assemble a young, driven squad capable of delivering both the Premier League and other trophies.

However, this triumph in the Club World Cup led Maresca to believe he had earned the right to request modifications to that model.

He sought greater power to construct a team capable of contending for major trophies, rather than merely participating in a glorified exhibition.

It has taken less than six months to demonstrate that both Maresca and his superiors were misguided, making the role of head coach appear increasingly untenable.

The management history has been ruthless, featuring 12 permanent managers and three interim ones over 19 years.

Maresca, despite lasting fewer than 19 months, is the longest-serving chief under the current regime.

Whoever takes over from the Italian will be the FIFTH individual appointed by the owners, BlueCo, since their takeover in May 2022. Regardless of the “he said, she said” regarding the breakdown in relations between Maresca and his superiors, the frequent turnover of coaches suggests they are not the sole issue.

At the same time, the Italian was aware of the challenges he was stepping into.

Only the previous manager, who was in place when BlueCo arrived, can claim not to have agreed to the new regime’s philosophy.

Both he and Maresca were hired based on the understanding that they would operate within the constraints set by the club’s recruitment policy.

Claims from Maresca’s camp suggest that certain red lines, established when he joined Chelsea in June 2024, were crossed.

Disputes regarding transfer policies and interference from higher-ups occur at every major club, and even at smaller ones. For over two decades, Chelsea’s internal conflicts have unfolded in public.

This is partly due to the fiery personalities of managers like and , and partly due to Abramovich’s unyielding nature.

If you won trophies, you remained. If you lost too many matches, you were dismissed.

Just ask poor old , who won the 2012 Champions League as interim manager but was permanently appointed only to be sacked within eight months.

Maresca’s dramatic decline is merely the latest chapter in the Stamford Bridge saga.

And Eghbali, as the leading figure among the investors, is in some ways the new Abramovich. However, the nature of Chelsea FC has undeniably evolved.

Abramovich invested over £2 billion to usher in the most successful era in the club’s history.

His motivations were complex and intertwined with the internal politics of Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

During Abramovich's tenure, the Blues established a philosophy of recruiting young talent from across the globe, either to promote to the first team or to sell for profit.

Yet, on-field success was the primary aim of Abramovich’s investments. Chelsea was effectively a charity.

Under the current unstable coalition of private equity investors, the emphasis has shifted.

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