31 Mar 2026 12:09:26
This is what Marc Cucurella said in his interview in Spain for those who have not read it.
Maresca's exit just after New Year was a turning point in the BlueCo project, but also in the Chelsea dressing room. Cucurella says the Italian was "the most important" of the six permanent managers he has worked under at Stamford Bridge.
"We knew what Maresca wanted from us, " he says. "Winning a title like the Club World Cup (beating PSG 3-0 in the final) also helps, strengthens the bond, and you create great relationships during the celebrations. When a manager gives you that confidence and offers you a platform to fight for titles, you'd die for him.
The moment Maresca left, it had a big impact on us. These are decisions taken by the club. If you asked me, I would not have made this decision. To make a change like that, the best thing is to wait until the end of the season. You would give everyone, the players and the new manager, time to get ready, have a full pre-season
"The instability around the club comes from this, in a nutshell.
31 Mar 2026 13:26:55
Greenaway,
If only Maresca did not want to leave, we would not have had to bring in a coach half way through the season.
31 Mar 2026 15:06:21
Bill, Maresca never wanted to leave. He just wanted a bigger say in player recruitment. I said it at the time; the sporting directors should have handled it better, placated him, and reviewed the situation in the summer. The players are now coming out and saying the same thing.
31 Mar 2026 15:51:57
Greenaway
I think the issue was that Maresca played everything out in the media, and that only ends one way, which is what he would have known.
31 Mar 2026 17:05:52
Supposedly he had agreed to take on the City job. Let's get over it and move on.
I personally can only support one manager at a time. Maresca isn't our manager anymore so, goodbye!!
31 Mar 2026 17:40:45
Tom, Maresca has gone, as you rightly point out, but today's threads are about Marc Cucurella and what he said. He clearly implies the season started to go wrong when the club departed with Maresca, and that is the debate. The sporting directors could and should have placated Maresca until at least the end of the season, and Cucurella has called them out, as a lot, myself included, did at the time.
He also calls them out for failing to add a little experience, which the likes of TT, Poch and, more recently, Maresca have insisted on.
31 Mar 2026 17:18:53
Rumours also of course that Maresca was wanting the City manager's job in te summer as Pep replacement.
Point is also surely that certain players have prospered more under some managers than others. Yes Sanchez and Cucurella were most oftren at their best under Maresca. EM had built up considerable player belief/credit in whole squad off back of CWC win. Yet he also seemed to have been losing some of that credit with some players at least - though clearly not MC and RS -- by the time he left. I posted at the time that Sanchez's farewell seemed reall heartfelt and MC may have posted something similar but I didn't see it.
On the other hand Palmer was at his best under Poch and Caicedo in the course of Poch short stay at the Bridge transformed into the world class player we know he is - or can be when at his best - today. Both had seemed genuinely sad when he 'parted ways' with the club.
Caicedo was largely superb under Maresca last season but began to lose some of that form this season. also under Maresca.
Jaoa Pedro got better and scored more goals under LIam R. Santos has also had some of his best games under LR too and Hato and TC may be added to the list too perhaps.
In other words I wanted Maresca to stay because I wanted stability and could not see the point of changing managers again and especially not mid-season and with another relatively unknown and inexperienced manager. Yet Maresca had been struggling in the Premier League this season and had ups and downs in Champions League like drawing away to lowly Qarabag - who Newcastle thrashed in their away game there - or losing from what shouod have been a winning position v Atalanta. Though his win against Barcelona - and the style of it - was a highpoint of his season and ours.
Some managers trust some players more than they do others and the opposite can be true. Some managers can plame the players for losses and some players will do the same to managers.My view is the often repeated and obvious one that we do not have a strinmg enough squad to compete with realistic chances of winning either EPL or Champions League, that both managers and players should take credit or blame for wins and losses - and someone might be able to tell us just how many losses of draws recently have been down to individual player errors some of them huge ones - and that as this season is drawing to close competing in that CWC was wonderfiul in that we won it but is quite probably catching up with or energy levels now given that the players had virtually no off season rest. It may begin to explain why we seem to have conceded so many goals in the second half and from winning positions.though I haven't looked at stats of this.
31 Mar 2026 18:49:01
Greenaway, Maresca isn't our manager. I don't care if Cucurella or any other player laments his leaving. Some supporters will support Cucurella's view because it's the same as their own.
If I'm LR, I talk to the player, and if he doesn't trust the manager, I drop him and then sell him. I take the view you are either for me or against me!!
31 Mar 2026 19:08:49
Maresca wasn't great, don't get me wrong, Liam is worse, but I'm all for players to come out, but they're the ones stepping over the line, and he really should look at his game at the minute and evaluate that. Results get managers the boot.
31 Mar 2026 19:55:25
I personally hate players thinking it's ok to make comments about their current manager. How about just shut the f*** up and get on with your job.
{Ed025's Note - im with you Tom..
31 Mar 2026 21:33:43
Maresca isn't going to get the City job (unless they get relegated, which isn't going to happen anytime soon). Fortunately, LR doesn't have the authority to sell any player.
31 Mar 2026 21:40:40
The owners have the ability to sell a player and I think the Cucarella statement was directed more at them than LR.
31 Mar 2026 22:09:24
Of course they do: stating the obvious. However, a player has the right to see out his contract, as we know too well.
31 Mar 2026 22:14:52
Stating the obvious, of course, a player has the ability to see out his contract, but given his quotes about the owners, I would suggest he has burnt his bridges.
01 Apr 2026 03:39:58
Jbs, I enjoyed your post. Just my own observation on the recent Caicedo performances and his drop in form, albeit from a very high level. I think this is because he is being asked to play in a slightly different role.
I have always seen Caicedo as a Kante type player. Box to box and break up play. To my eyes, under LR, he is being asked to play in a more rigid role. I'm sure he will come to terms with this change, at least, I hope he does.