Truth behind Enzo Maresca's 'worst 48 hours' rant as Chelsea feud laid bare

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A draw with Bournemouth proved to be the end of the line for head coach Enzo Maresca as he parted company with Chelsea on New Year's Day.

Tensions reached breaking point between Enzo Maresca and the Chelsea medical team after the Italian ignored instructions from experts. Some Chelsea officials were said to be angered by the conduct of the tactician, while exploratory talks with Manchester City were believed to be an unnecessary distraction, as details emerge of the fractured in-house relationships that led to his exit.

After 18 months - and two more pieces of silverware added to the Stamford Bridge trophy collection - the Italian became the fourth permanent manager in west London to be dismissed since Todd Boehly completed a takeover.

Ex-Leicester City manager, Maresca, lifted the lid on a fractured relationship at the Bridge following their 2-0 win over Everton in mid-December. Maresca took aim with incendiary comments that seemed to spark the beginning of the end for his tenure.

He said: "The way the players want to learn has been fantastic and this is the reason why I praise them - because with so many problems, they are doing very well after a complicated week.

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

football.london understands that Maresca's frustrations stemmed from falling out with his medical department, including prematurely pulling players from injury.

Cole Palmer was withdrawn during the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth in midweek and the Stamford Bridge faithful responded with; 'You don't know what you're doing'.

The substitution, which sparked equal frustration from the England international, was part of the plan to manage the 23-year-old's workload after continuing his comeback from a complex groin injury.

It's come to light that a falling out with the medical department was fuelled by Maresca using players against the in-house advice, angering some within the club.

While the club sat third in the Premier League and on a high following their 3-0 victory over Barcelona in the Champions League, form dipped considerably with draws against Arsenal and Bournemouth, while they were stunned away at Leeds United and Atalanta in the Champions League.

Over at City, meanwhile, Pep Guardiola is gearing up for another title charge as they aim to halt Arsenal's plans of ending a two-decade-long wait to return to the summit of English football.

But it's been reported that Maresca is high on City's list as potential successors to replace the Catalan tactician.

In 2024, it was assumed that it would be Guardiola's last with the Premier League giants, only for the serial trophy-winner to pen a two-year extension.

The deal is up at the end of the season and there was contact between the Italian's representatives and City over the possibility of an exit.

As is stated in Maresca's contract - which was initially due to run until 2029 - he would have to inform Chelsea of the contact with their top-flight rivals, with Ruben Viana leading the succession plan for Guardiola's replacement.