Chelsea have only won 1 of their last 7 Premier League matches. They are 15 points behind league leaders Arsenal, even though on November 22, 2025, the gap between the two teams was only 3 points.
Two more disappointing and lifeless performances at Stamford Bridge against Aston Villa and Bournemouth during the holiday increased pressure on the Italian coach. They lost to Aston Villa 1-2 and drew with Bournemouth 2-2 in a match where Maresca was booed by fans for replacing Cole Palmer.
Chelsea's current image is completely different from 2 months ago. At that time, Chelsea showed strength when they defeated Barcelona 3-0 in the UEFA Champions League and were only 3 points behind Arsenal in the Premier League. But a series of mistakes and defeats against Leeds United, Atalanta and Aston Villa put Enzo Maresca under more pressure than ever.
The Italian strategist once caused controversy when revealing a not really smooth relationship with the club's leadership. After defeating Everton 2-0, Maresca said that the days before the match were "the worst 48 hours" in his time at the club and "many people" did not support him or the team.
After this victory, Chelsea only had one more victory against Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup. The rest, they have not won in the last 3 Premier League matches. According to British media, Maresca is unlikely to maintain his position if he does not improve his performance in January 2026.
This is the second consecutive season that Chelsea has declined in form in the winter months under Maresca. Last season, they only won two matches in the English Premier League from mid-December to the last week of February.
According to statistics, in January 2026, Chelsea will play up to 9 matches, in 4 different tournaments. The first challenge for Cole Palmer and his teammates is the away match at the Etihad Stadium of Man City - a team that is in very high form.
5 weeks ago, Chelsea was 1 point ahead of Man City in the Premier League, but now they are 10 points behind Guardiola's team. Chelsea also lost 15 points from leading the opponent.
According to English football experts, Chelsea possesses a high-quality squad, based on what they showed in the victory over Barcelona and the draw with Arsenal. Maresca also had time to build a squad based on many young, talented players. However, from the end of last season to now, they have not shown much progress.
Maresca helped Chelsea win two titles in 2025, notably the FIFA Club World Cup. However, they did not maintain stability, and he himself exposed Chelsea's inadequacies after speaking in the victory over Everton.
Besides, rotating the squad too much, with 55 substitutions this season, is also part of the reason for Chelsea's decline. Of course, Maresca cannot be completely blamed for all the problems Chelsea has encountered. However, if he does not improve his performance early in January 2026, Maresca may lose his job.
