Jamie Carragher says Enzo Maresca has created a “big problem” with cryptic recent comments and does not expect the head coach to be at Chelsea next season.
Maresca caused confusion after describing the two days leading into Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Everton as “the worst 48 hours” since his arrival last summer. The remark followed Tuesday’s 2-1 Champions League defeat at Atalanta and came amid a run of one win in four games. He offered little clarification ahead of the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Cardiff, saying only that he had nothing to add and was focused on the upcoming match.
Carragher, speaking on Monday Night Football, said Maresca appeared to be taking aim at the club’s owners and sporting directors and warned that public disputes rarely end well for coaches. “I am a big fan of Maresca but it looks like there’s a bit of a power play starting, and that never bodes well, especially for a manager,” he said. Carragher added: “I don’t think Maresca’s manager at Chelsea next season. When you come out and speak about your ownership like that and you speak in public, that’s a big problem.”
Carragher outlined a familiar pattern where a head coach, having achieved success—he cited Champions League qualification, European silverware and the Club World Cup—then seeks greater power and becomes frustrated when the club does not meet transfer needs, such as failing to sign a centre-back after Levi Colwill’s injury. He criticised going public with grievances, comparing it to other recent high-profile rows, and warned that in such disputes “there will only be one winner, and it’s not him.”
When asked who would lose more, Carragher said Maresca would be more likely to walk away because Chelsea remains a coveted job and the club could find another manager. He defended Maresca’s coaching credentials, noting he is tactically capable of competing with top managers.
Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol added that it was clear “all is not well behind the scenes at Chelsea.” He noted Maresca declined multiple opportunities to deny problems with those he reports to and had confirmed he was not referring to fans when he said “many people did not support” him after the Atalanta defeat. By process of elimination, Solhekol said the comments pointed to people inside the club—likely co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart—who typically conduct post-match debriefs. He warned that by going public Maresca is “playing a dangerous game” and that such situations usually do not end in the manager’s favour.