Enzo Maresca given one thing Mauricio Pochettino was not as Chelsea sack truth clear amid fan anger

If you ask Enzo Maresca whether or not Chelsea have improved under his leadership, the head coach will tell you yes. The Italian is adamant there has been progress this season at Stamford Bridge with the Blues chasing a spot in the Champions League for the 2025/26 campaign.

Under , Chelsea ended up in sixth-place after a season that ended with five straight victories in the Premier League. Even with the 15 points from the final five matches of the campaign, it was not enough to keep Pochettino in a job, with and replaced by , a young manager with a clear philosophy and the man chosen to take Chelsea back to the promised land.

The plan from and the co-sporting directors was always to assess and review Pochettino's position at the end of the season, while it is different under Maresca. Very different. With the short turnaround between 2024/25 and 2025/26 due to the revamped FIFA Club World Cup taking place this summer, the ownership regards it as a two-season campaign, meaning no decision is likely to take place over Maresca's future until the end of next term.

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While some supporters have asked the question regarding Maresca's future, especially given the poor run of results in 2025, the club remain fully confident the Italian is the man to spearhead their ambitious long-term project at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea have just five matches of the Premier League season left to play and are currently two points adrift of the top five - enough, of course, to get you Champions League football - and Maresca believes, whatever happens between now and their final game on May 25, there has been progress this term.

, the head coach said: "In my mind, I think the team is ready [to take a step forward next season]. And the reason why I say that is because I think we proved this season. I think, even if sometimes from outside it is difficult to see that, but in the last two years, Chelsea has been top four zero times.

"This season we have been top four most of our season. I don't know the reason why I was not here last season, two years ago, I am not judging what happened last year or two years ago. I am just judging this season.

"And this is the reason why I think fans, they have to trust us, they have to trust the team, they have to trust the club, what we are doing now. And the reason why is because, if in the last two seasons, Chelsea was zero times top four, and this season we spent almost our season top four, I think it's a big proof that the team is improving and is doing the right things.

"Now, is it enough? For me, no. Because I would like to fight with this club for titles, for Premier League, for Champions League. But at the same time, I think we have to be realistic and see that this team, this season, is improving. It's there, it's numbers. In the last two years, zero times top four, this season, almost all season. I think it's quite clear that we are in the right direction. Now, again, is it enough? For me, no.

"Because I would like to fight with this club for important things. And we are going to fight for important things. But at the same time, the fans and everyone also in this room, I think it's correct to trust us because we are doing the right things.

"Now we are not in the top four, unfortunately top five, so we are not happy. We are going to try to finish there. But it's a proof that we are doing the right things."

He is right; Chelsea have spent the whole season, pretty much, in the top four. At one point, people, rather prematurely, were talking about the Blues as possible title challengers to Liverpool. But in terms of pure numbers, there has been progress. Marginal progress, anyway.

At this point in the 2023/24 season, Chelsea had 50 points under Pochettino, whereas they have seven more after the same amount of matches with Maresca in charge. It was a surge to the finish line for Pochettino, so if we wrote this article in a month, things may well look different especially considering .

Chelsea scored 63 goals after 33 matches last term, compared to the 58 they have under their belt at the time of writing this time around. However, defensively it has been a lot better for the Blues this season. Maresca's side have conceded just 40 goals - with only three teams; Nottingham Forest (39 goals against), Liverpool (31 GA) and Arsenal (27 GA) letting fewer in this season so far.

What does go in Maresca's favour is that he has implemented a clear style of play within this Chelsea side. Whether you like it or not, however, is a different question, with many supporters feeling the build-up in matches is too slow. For the first part of the season, though, it was quicker but something - and it is the million dollar question as to why - has definitely changed since the turn of the year.

Injuries have not been too kind to Maresca in 2025 but he now has no excuses on that front with essentially a fully fit squad to choose from with a month remaining of the campaign. The key thing for the Italian is getting the supporters on side but recent comments about the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge have made that task even more difficult. He chose not to celebrate with fans at full-time of Chelsea's dramatic victory away at Fulham on Sunday afternoon and that .

Either way, he is happy with how the season has gone thus far but will be delighted if his side can achieve the main target put to him and his coaching staff when the campaign started back in August. "Today's win doesn't change my view," . "It's already a good season and can become very good if we finish in the Champions League spots, no doubt.

"But for sure, today was an important win because first of all it's a derby, second, it gives us the chance to be there. And probably it was the most difficult win, and the reason why is because they [league rivals] all played yesterday."

Qualifying for the Champions League is integral for every club for a variety of different reasons. Firstly, every club that qualifies earns an automatic £15.7million. And in the newly-formatted league phase of the competition, every win earns a club £1.8million and a draw £590,000. As well as the financial rewards available, it also gives clubs a major advantage in the transfer market.

See this summer, for instance, with essentially having a choice of which of the top clubs in the Premier League he signs for. If Chelsea were to get Champions League football and Manchester United failed to do so, then Delap may well be more inclined to end up at Stamford Bridge rather than Old Trafford.

Not only is it paramount for Maresca to qualify for Europe's elite competition for his own reputation as Chelsea head coach, but it will also play a huge part in shaping his squad for next season where he will be hoping his side can really kick on and compete with the very best in the country.