In round 25 of the Premier League, Chelsea surprisingly lost 0-3 to Brighton. This was also the Blues' second consecutive loss to this opponent in a week. Although still holding 4th place, Chelsea is likely to fall to 6th if the teams Manchester City, Newcastle and Bournemouth get good results in this round.
More broadly, Chelsea have not won 8 out of their last 11 matches in all competitions. This has caused the future of coach Enzo Maresca to start to waver, as he is no longer in control of the situation.
However, Gary Neville believes the big mistake lies with Chelsea's board. He told Sky Sports: The pressure needs to be put on those who have recruited players. It is clear that the positions of striker jackson and goalkeeper Sanchez are too weak. Coaches should not be under any pressure, in any way. You can't have good football, when the goalscorer and the one with the task of keeping a clean sheet are like that."
In the 2024-2025 winter transfer window, Chelsea will not buy any more strikers or goalkeepers. They even pushed striker Joao Felix to AC Milan. The London team is also unlucky with both strikers, Jackson and Guiu, injured.
Neville still believe in Chelsea's return, if Enzo Maresca has new contracts: "The first goal Chelsea had to accept, Mitoma was also very good. But for any other goalkeeper, they will block it successfully and the score will still be 0-0. So I think Maresca still has a chance this season, for example, finishing in the Champions League.
As long as he has one or two strikers, along with a goalkeeper in the summer, that's fine. Chelsea will have a youthful squad that challenges titles. So I think the pressure should not be on the coach, the pressure should be on those who have hired him.
