Chelsea sacked Enzo Maresca on New Year's Eve after he attempted to engineer an exit, according to sources. The head coach had become increasingly frustrated with the club's structure and made comments about his 'worst 48 hours' after a win over Everton last month.
The Italian's rebellion began when he demanded a new centre-back following Levi Colwill's knee injury, but Chelsea refused to change their model of buying young players on long contracts. Tensions escalated over load management advice from the medical department, with Maresca feeling he was not receiving support.
Maresca's antics included skipping a post-match press conference after a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth, claiming illness, which the club believed was a ploy to force a sacking. He also used interest from Juventus and Manchester City as leverage for a new contract, angering the hierarchy.
Despite winning the Conference League and Club World Cup in his first season, Maresca's side dropped 20 points from winning positions this term and drifted to fifth in the Premier League. His cautious tactics failed to convince fans, and backroom sources warned his position was becoming untenable.
Chelsea's ownership, led by Behdad Eghbali, and recruitment team—Paul Winstanley, Laurence Stewart, and others—insist Maresca was never told what tactics to use but was expected to rotate more to avoid the injury crisis that plagued the previous campaign.
