Enzo Maresca firing highlights big Chelsea problem - with Liverpool among teams set to capitalize

Enzo Maresca has left Chelsea, with the Stamford Bridge side currently two points behind Liverpool in the Premier League standings and facing a trip to Man City next

Enzo Maresca has left Chelsea.(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

To paraphrase a tweet from around six years ago: There is always a crisis club in the Premier League. The aim is not to be it.

Liverpool has, at times this season, been the main focus of attention after a dire run that saw legitimate questions asked about the future of Arne Slot. Never, though, have the Reds been as inevitably under the spotlight as Chelsea.

With the exception, perhaps, of Manchester United in recent years, the Stamford Bridge side has become an entity of chaos. Since Todd Boehly took over, it has spent billions of dollars on new players, yet perpetually feels three transfer windows — and probably two head coaches — away from any tangible progress.

Sure, Enzo Maresca won the Club World Cup during the summer. But could anyone guarantee, even after that success, that he would remain in his post until the end of the season?

With a dispute behind the scenes regarding the direction that the club was heading in, Maresca has resigned. Chelsea viewed his position as being untenable and The Athletic reports that club bosses were unhappy with him flirting with Manchester City.

The Spaniard insisted only a week or so ago that he would still be at Chelsea next season when he was being tipped to replace Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium. Now, it seems he could be available after all.

Enzo Maresca and Arne Slot before Chelsea vs Liverpool.(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Chelsea has lots of issues to resolve before it can take the next step and become a contender for the Premier League title. Maresca shouldn't be one of them.

Its policy of exclusively signing promising young talents — often lavishing huge sums in order to do so — means that there is a lack of experience in the playing squad.

The level of churn when it comes to transfers means there is little cohesion, while Chelsea has spent substantial sums on players it effectively already had. For every Estevao, who looks to have real potential, there is Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto — essentially the same level of nearly-but-not-quite.

Last summer, Chelsea brought in Jamie Gittens but sold Noni Madueke. Aside from for spreadsheet and PSR purposes, what was the point?

Referee Anthony Taylor shows Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca a red card and sends him off after he left his technical area to join in celebrations at the corner flag following the late winner against Liverpool (Image: Robin Jones/Getty Images)

Now, Maresca has had enough. However big an impact the potential vacancy at Manchester City might have had, the highly rated head coach will need to be replaced, and Chelsea will go back to square one. There might be a new manager bounce, but the constraints under which the new man will work mean it will end the same way.

After dismissing Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino, most recently, Chelsea looked to have a coach who was heading in the right direction. Sure, he needed a better goalkeeper, center-back and striker — the spine of a team — but there was progress. That has now all been lost.

As Liverpool has found this season, changing so much in one summer can set you back months. Integrating players (and head coaches) can take some time. Chelsea knows that too, of course, but doesn't seem to have learned the lesson.

"With key objectives still to play for across four competitions including qualification for Champions League football, Enzo and the club believe a change gives the team the best chance of getting the season back on track," an official statement reads.

That, though, depends not only on Chelsea getting his successor right, but also a wider change in approach, which won't come before the end of the season.

Liverpool may not have had a smooth campaign, but there is a clear direction of travel at Anfield. There is evidence that the plan can work too, with the likes of Florian Wirtz growing in influence and Arne Slot already having a title victory under his belt.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, is clearly building something strong under Unai Emery, and Arsenal and Manchester City are established as the top two for the time being.

Whether Maresca has eyes on the Manchester City job or he simply felt he couldn't work at a club like Chelsea, the West London side has taken a step back again. Unfortunately for the Blues, those ahead of it in the Premier League table are so much better equipped behind the scenes, it is hard to see its position drastically changing.