Enzo Maresca in his press conference on Monday. (Image: Getty)
manager has been warned he will be booted out of Stamford Bridge if his side doesn’t take six points from their next two games. The pressure on the Italian has intensified following , with the Blues having now won just two of their last 10 Premier League matches.
That run of form has seen them drop out of the spots, while they have also .
It means that the represents their last chance of silverware this season, and a campaign that promised so much before Christmas is now teetering on the brink.
’s next two league games appear must-win ones. They host rock-bottom tomorrow night (Tuesday) before welcoming struggling Leicester on Sunday, March 9.
A trip to Denmark to face Copenhagen in Europe is sandwiched in between, but according to , that clash will have no bearing on Maresca’s future. Instead, it’s the two games at Stamford Bridge that the Sky pundit believes could spell the end of his tenure.
“If they don’t win their next two games, the manager won’t be there,” he said. “They’re playing against two of the worst teams to play in the Premier League for I don’t know how long in Southampton and Leicester. So, if they don’t win those two games, he will do well to keep his job.”
Paul Merson has warned the Chelsea manager over the next two Premier League games. (Image: Getty)
However, even if prevail in both games, Merson thinks the stay of execution will only last until the summer if doesn’t return to Europe’s elite competition. “ have got to get in the Champions League,” he added.
“They need the Champions League to keep players like , as he will want to play in that competition. They will have to finish in the top five; otherwise, I dread thinking about what’s going to happen.”
Maresca arrived from last June following the departure of . He was the third permanent manager through the door since Todd Boehly became involved in the club in 2022, and Merson also took aim at ’s much-maligned transfer policy.
Merson, a fan despite being cemented as an icon after playing 417 times for the Gunners, also took aim at the club’s transfer policy. He argued that the policy of handing new players long-term deals is proving destructive.
“I just don’t see what the plan is,” he added. “All the seven-year contracts and these players are not getting any better. How many of them have been a major success?”