Jamie Carragher makes Enzo Maresca sack prediction after Chelsea outburst | Football

Jamie Carragher has boldly predicted that ‘improbable’ Enzo Maresca won’t be Chelsea manager next season following his explosive comments in regards to the club’s board.

Maresca’s future at Stamford Bridge suddenly looks very uncertain after he appeared to call out Chelsea’s ownership following Saturday’s 2-0 win over Everton.

The Italian said: ‘The last 48 hours has been the worst since I joined the club because many individuals didn’t support me and the team.’

While he refused to make clear who he was referring too, the remarks were reportedly an intentional dig on the club’s higher-ups and he did little to quell the matter when speaking on Monday ahead of the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Cardiff City.

Maresca has performed thoroughly in his first 18 months in west London but Carragher believes this incident his sealed his fate and he won’t be on the Bridge for much longer.

‘It’s not uncertain. He was speaking in regards to the owner and the sporting directors,’ the Liverpool legend said on Sky Sports Monday Night Football.

‘It is a classic case that we see at lots of clubs now where you could have a head coach, not a manager, and sporting directors. And what you get is the coach is available in initially and agrees to the terms and conditions.

‘But then he seems like he’s done a extremely good job and he has done an incredible job, getting Champions League football last season, winning a European competition and winning the Club World Cup. So then slowly he seems like he should get more power.

‘He’ll be really disenchanted by Chelsea not going into the market and buying a centre-back in the summertime, when [Levi] Colwill got the large injury.

‘In the previous few weeks, the outcomes have just turned on him somewhat bit. So he’s calling something out and he wants something in public which I don’t agree with.

‘We spoke about Mo Salah last week. This will not be as extreme nevertheless it’s an analogous type of situation. I don’t like people going public, whether it’s a manager or a player, you sort it in-house.

‘But the issue for Enzo Maresca is that if he continues like this, there’s only going to be one winner. And it’s not him.’

Carragher later added: ‘I don’t think Maresca is the manager of Chelsea next season.

‘I believe once you come out and talk about ownership like that and also you start going public, that’s an enormous problem. I don’t see him there next season.’

Chelsea’s stance on the matter is unknown but sacking Maresca, especially mid-season, seems out of the query, with the club fourth within the table and in an incredible position to win more silverware.

Carragher added that while the Blues could potentially hire someone higher, he believes Maresca is an elite coach and suggested it will be an enormous mistake for the club and manager to part ways.

‘We discuss Manchester United and Ruben Amorim and there’s still that query mark, is he able to coaching at the best level against the very best coaches within the Premier League? We don’t know.

‘I wouldn’t say that about Maresca. If you have a look at his record, it’s improbable what he’s done since the squad of players Chelsea have, they’re nowhere near competing with those top three teams.

‘So for Maresca to have done what he’s done to this point, that’s what makes him feel confident enough to attempt to tackle the owners or the sporting directors, because he feels he’s done enough.

‘He’s sure he could do rather more than that and I’m undecided he can with the squad that they’ve got. But going forward, where could Maresca go that’s higher than Chelsea? I’m undecided.

‘Chelsea as a club will feel they’ll go and get one other manager. Could they get someone higher than Maresca? Possibly, but once you have a look at what’s happening at Spurs within the last couple of years, what’s happening at Manchester United, you’ll be able to easily go and get a manager who will not be at that level.

‘Maresca can go up against any manager, as he’s proved, whether that’s Pep Guardiola, Arne Slot, Barcelona within the Champions League. He’s greater than capable tactically and as a top coach.’

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