Pat Nevin, a former Chelsea player, says he was not surprised to hear that Enzo Maresca had been sacked as the club’s manager.
Maresca left Stamford Bridge on New Year’s Day – less than six months after he took Chelsea to the Club World Cup victory.
The former Leicester City manager won the Conference League with Chelsea last season and ended up in fourth place in the Premier League, which allowed them to qualify for the Champions League.
Under Maresca, Chelsea surprisingly won the World Club Cup in the United States.
Chelsea started the season well but faced challenges in December. They got just six points from their six games and ended up 15 points behind table toppers Arsenal.
Maresca’s relationship with the Chelsea management team at Stamford Bridge began to worsen.
Reacting to the development, Nevin observed that Chelsea often hire and fire managers without much thought.
Nevin told BBC Radio 5 Live, “I am not shocked or even surprised because it’s the Chelsea way. How many managers try to influence their board? They hate it.
“I thought his time was up after the Everton comments. The writing was on the wall.
“Has he done a good enough job? I think it is about par. You can present it as a team of world champions and a European trophy with a young squad.
“You could also say that £1.6 billion was spent on players. That would be a decent team.
“I do feel sorry for Enzo Maresca. This dip was expected at this point in the season because the team played a lot of football in the Club World Cup. They didn’t get much of a break.
When asked who could take over from Maresca at Stamford Bridge, Nevin said: “Chelsea needs someone who really believes in the approach. Another way to put that is that you need a puppet.
“A person who does exactly what they are told by those in charge. If you really want that person, you need to get one.
“They will bring in someone who is young and can be controlled easily. Chelsea want success. They want points to make it into the top four or five and qualify for the Champions League each year.
“But they want something else. They are looking for someone who will follow their instructions and do exactly what they say. Those two things may not be compatible.
“Liam Rosenior seems like a great choice, but he hasn’t experience at this level before. This is the top league and the toughest league in the world. Even when you play against weaker teams, you can still make mistakes and still be done. Hiring someone who doesn’t have that kind of experience is a huge opportunity.”
