Inside Enzo Maresca's Chelsea sacking with relationship breaking down in just 19 days

Enzo Maresca has parted company with Chelsea following intense talks between the Italian and the club over the last 24 hours

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because many people didn't support us."

It felt like the start of the end. Even then. 19 days ago. It felt like Enzo Maresca was on borrowed time.

His relationship with the club became fractured. Chelsea chiefs were left astounded by the Italian’s comments following the 2-0 win over Everton on December 13. Some were left in the dark about what he meant, while some were confused why he vented his frustration to the press.

Ever since, Maresca has not been the same. Not with the press, anyway. Maresca has always had a good relationship with the media, while not always wanting to give himself away too much, but even that seemed fractured. After his initial outburst, he seemed reluctant to then give anything else for the media to write about. But the questions kept coming because of the magnitude of his post-Everton bombshell.

At the end of November, Chelsea seemed to be in a positive place. The team were third in the Premier League and there was even some talk of a title challenge, though those at the club were quick to play that down. A thrashing of Barcelona followed in what will go down as one of Stamford Bridge’s greatest ever nights.

Just one league win followed in December but it is not just results which added more pressure on Maresca, but it was those infamous comments that made a rod for his own back.

In Chelsea's draw with Bournemouth, there was a sense that the fans started to turn. The home supporters booed Maresca's decision to take Cole Palmer off on 63 minutes, with some chanting, "you don’t know what you’re doing", even though the Italian was trying to protect the 23-year-old, whose workload is being managed due to a complicated groin injury.

However, just a fortnight after Maresca was serenaded by the away end in Cardiff following the "worst 48 hour" comments, the head coach was under big pressure. Behdad Eghbali, the club's co-owner, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, the two sporting directors, walked across the Stamford Bridge pitch shortly after the final whistle for their usual debrief with Maresca. This wasn't unusual; it is how things work with BlueCo, but these are part of the conditions widely believed to have played a part in Maresca's frustrations.

That ended up being the final debrief of Maresca's tenure. The next day, he and his representatives were in talks with Chelsea over his position at the club. A position deemed untenable after recent events.

Now, the search for Chelsea's next head coach begins. Liam Rosenior, given his ties with Strasbourg, a club owned by BlueCo, is an early favourite.