There has been plenty of negative noise around Chelsea this week, but not every rumour is gaining traction with pundits Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer.
Enzo Maresca’s side have now lost two in a row in the league, both games unravelling after red cards.
First it was Robert Sanchez sent off, then Trevoh Chalobah followed in the next match. Playing with ten men made it a tough ask for the Blues to get anything out of either game.
The defeat to Brighton seemed to be a tipping point for some fans inside the ground, who started voicing their frustration at how the season has begun under Maresca.
Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer push back against talk of Enzo Maresca pressure
Despite calls from some fans to make a change, it was not long ago that Maresca led Chelsea to two trophies at the end of his first season in charge.
But Lineker and Shearer both said they did not think he should be under any real pressure, especially given how those defeats played out.
“It’s funny football isn’t it. Maresca is apparently now under pressure. He won two trophies recently, he’s got Palmer out. Surely not? He’s just won the Club World Cup,” Lineker said.
Shearer then added: “He was probably expected to win the Conference League with Chelsea, but there weren’t too many people that tipped Chelsea to win the Club World Cup, and he did win it.
“He’s lost two games in a row, and he’s lost them because essentially both times he’s gone down to 10 men, and we know how difficult that it is.
“Because of it being Chelsea, you’re not going to get too much sympathy. Should he be under pressure? In my opinion, no, because he’s lost two games, but you know when you sign up to that football club that anything can happen. You know the rules when you sign up to Chelsea, that can happen to you. Two losses and you’re under huge pressure is madness in football, but doesn’t surprise me at Chelsea.”
What Todd Boehly thinks of Enzo Maresca
When the decision was made to bring in Maresca as Mauricio Pochettino’s replacement, it was not lost on anyone that he was stepping into the role without much experience at this level.
But early reports suggest that Todd Boehly and his team are standing by their decision, with no immediate plans to make a change.
Maresca will need things to turn around soon though. The next opportunity comes against Benfica in the Champions League group stage, a match where results will matter more than ever.
On the other side of that fixture will be Jose Mourinho, now in charge of Benfica. He will be eager to get one over on his old club and send a clear message with his return.
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