“Brilliant” Maresca gets huge backing from Chelsea favourite even as fans start to question his football | OneFootball

Chelsea play in the Conference League tonight, and before kick off on TNT Sport they asked former Blue Joe Cole for his thoughts on Enzo Maresca’s progress so far as coach.

Opinions are divided amongst fans and supporters online, but Cole backed the Italian heavily:

“I think Enzo Maresca has got the most difficult job in the Premier League, because the expectations of the club weren’t quite married with where they were at the time [when he arrived],” Cole said.

“If you remember back he had 27, 28 players who expected to be part of the team, he had to filter through that, he had to embed a playing style, under that pressure. So I think he’s doing a great job, and I think for them to be sitting 4th in the league and doing what they are in this competition – brilliant.”

Maresca has convinced Cole – but has a long way to go with fans

Enzo Maresca looks delighted after a big home win. (Photo by Action Images Via Reuters)

It’s not an opinion that would be shared by a lot of Blues fans, certainly at Stamford Bridge, where the pressure has cranked up in the last couple of games.

The good results of the Autumn gave way to some really bad results in winter, and while things have turned around with some wins recently, the performances are not only still poor, they’re more dull than ever. There’s something of a culture war developing, especially at Stamford Bridge where fans’ expectations are rising as the manager reaches the end of his first season in charge, while performances are going the other way, certainly in terms of excitement.

Cole is convinced that fans just need to be more patient, given the context of the situation the new manager came into. Tonight is a great chance to step things up a gear.