'Doing himself a disservice': Troy Deeney agrees with John Obi Mikel's criticism of Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has come under strong scrutiny from John Obi Mikel recently for his comments, and Troy Deeney has now weighed in with his verdict on the situation.
The first few of months of Enzo Maresca as the Chelsea manager were superb. In fact, the Blues were tipped by some as potential contenders for the Premier League title in early December.
Unfortunately, the side’s form has dropped off significantly more recently, winning only two of their previous nine league games, resulting in them dropping down to sixth in the division table.
Therefore, it may be good news that finishing in the Premier League’s top five could secure Champions League qualification because of England’s ranking with UEFA.
During recent comments, Maresca explained Chelsea are still ahead of schedule in his mind because the aim is Champions League qualification within the next two years. The head coach told Sky Sports: “The club asked to play Champions League in two years. If we are able to bring this club after one year, it will be fantastic.”
It wasn’t a surprise to hear former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel was fuming with the manager’s comments. He said on his podcast: “We are a Champions League club. For him (Maresca) to come out and say we’re ahead of schedule, no you’re not ahead of schedule. You should be there.”
Troy Deeney agrees with John Obi Mikel’s criticism of Enzo Maresca
Troy Deeney, the former Premier League striker, has been asked what he makes of Mikel’s firm reaction to Maresca’s comments about being ahead of schedule. Interestingly, he completely understands the frustration from Mikel.
Deeney told talkSPORT: “I make him right to a large degree. When you talk about Chelsea, they’ve been known since [Roman] Abramovich took over as a team that serially wins [with] real leaders. Playing against a few of those teams, you knew you were up for a fight no matter what. They could beat you up with or without the ball.
“They’ve spent a billion pounds. What are we talking about? This is not a rebuild. You’ve still got Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth ahead of you. You can’t say with 14 or 15 games left ‘we’re ahead of schedule’. Expectations change and I think he’s doing himself a disservice, I really do.
“They’re a billion-pound team who are still Cole Palmer or nothing. Give it to Cole Palmer and if he’s good, they’re good.”
Chelsea’s owners and Maresca are meeting about summer transfers, so it doesn’t sound like there’s any bad blood between them amid this inconsistent run of results.
Let’s hope that the Blues can quickly turn things around in their upcoming league fixtures before an international break in March.
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Enzo Maresca must not lose the Chelsea fans
It feels like we’re only one or two bad results away from the fanbase turning on the manager. At the moment, he’s at risk of undoing all his great work from the first half of the season.
| Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses |
| 37 | 21 | 7 | 9 |
Chelsea supporters weren’t happy with Maresca’s comments after the FA Cup exit, where he suggested it allows them to focus on the Premier League and the Conference League.
The modern day Blues fan has grown up watching a period of major success, so they’re used to seeing standards at the highest level. However, if Chelsea miss out on Champions League qualification, it’ll be three straight seasons away from Europe’s elite club competition.
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