“Chelsea blames Enzo Maresca for disastrous season following his departure to Man City.”

Chelsea has launched an explosive accusation against Enzo Maresca, publicly blaming him for the “deeply disappointing” season the club has endured, in a statement that has shaken English football just minutes after the official announcement of his appointment as the new manager of Manchester City. The revelation, made in an unprecedented and straightforward manner, exposes the deep fractures between the Italian coach and the Blues’ management, who did not hesitate to hold him responsible for the team’s collapse in 2025.

Enzo Maresca left Stamford Bridge at the end of the 2024/25 season, at a time when the relationship with Chelsea’s management was already clearly deteriorated. The abrupt departure of the coach, who had signed just a year earlier, plunged the London club into a period of chaos. The hasty choice of Liam Rosenior as the head coach proved to be a disaster: Chelsea lost five consecutive matches without scoring a single goal — something that hadn’t happened since 1912 — and plummeted in the standings, finishing in a disappointing 10th place and out of European competitions for the first time in several years.

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This debacle has created a toxic environment at Stamford Bridge, with supporters demanding changes and fiercely criticizing the management of the squad. The departure of Maresca, now confirmed as a strategic move to position himself as Pep Guardiola’s successor at Manchester City, is seen by Chelsea’s management as the main catalyst for the disastrous season. The loss of leadership in the dressing room and the instability created by his sudden exit are pointed to as direct reasons for the team’s brutal decline in performance.

In an official statement released on Wednesday following the confirmation of Enzo Maresca’s hiring by Manchester City, Chelsea did not hold back in their words: “Last autumn, the club was informed by our former head coach [Maresca] that there might be an opportunity to succeed Pep Guardiola at the end of the season,” the club began. “It was clear to us that it was his strong desire to succeed Guardiola and that he was fully committed to pursuing that opportunity, despite being under a long-term contract, which he had no right to terminate,” added the Blues’ management structure.

The statement continues in an even more forceful tone: “In December 2025, our head coach unexpectedly and abruptly resigned. Obviously, we felt betrayed, as we believed that his head and heart were focused on another club and another opportunity, despite having joined Chelsea only a year earlier. No club wants to change coaches mid-season. However, in light of his decision not to continue fulfilling his responsibilities until the end of the season, the club had no choice but to protect our players, our fans, and the badge, and accept his resignation.”

These words, rarely seen in official statements from major clubs, clearly express the resentment and frustration of Chelsea’s management regarding what they consider a betrayal by Maresca. The Italian coach himself has yet to respond publicly to the accusations, but the media pressure surrounding his debut at Manchester City will undoubtedly be colossal.

Chelsea’s immediate future now hinges on attempting to rebuild a team that is morally shaken and has lost key figures both on and off the pitch. With the elimination from European competitions weighing heavily on the club’s pride and financial revenues, the administration is under intense scrutiny from both fans and sponsors. On the other hand, Maresca arrives at Manchester City with the heavy legacy of Guardiola and the shadow of the London scandal looming over him.

The next chapter promises to be even more dramatic: can Chelsea recover from this setback and return to prominence in the Premier League? Will Maresca be up to the demands and expectations in Manchester, or will the controversy he left at Stamford Bridge haunt him? One thing is certain: the 2025/26 season has already begun to heat up long before the first whistle blows.

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