Club legend tells Enzo Maresca to SUCK IT UP amid Chelsea tension

Tom Weber

• Updated: 19 Dec 2025 18:41 GMT
• 4 min read

News

Chelsea legend Frank Leboeuf believes that Enzo Maresca was wrong to spark unnecessary drama with his cryptic "worst 48 hours" comment last weekend.

The Italian caused a significant stir after his side defeated Everton on Saturday after a poor run of results. Maresca claimed that the two days in the build-up to the match had been the "worst 48 hours" of his Chelsea stint so far due to a lack of support.

He refused to elaborate on his comments and also did not backtrack when he faced the media again a few days later. The cryptic nature of his statement sparked a frenzy of speculation.

Many felt that the comments were directed at his higher-ups, which prompted pundit Jamie Carragher to suggest that Maresca would not be in charge at Stamford Bridge beyond this season.

It was later revealed that there is some tension behind the scenes at Chelsea, but the exact source of this tension has proved difficult to pinpoint. The situation has become more complex with the revelation that Maresca is a target for Man City to replace Pep Guardiola.

Leboeuf: Maresca should have kept quiet

Chelsea legend Frank Leboeuf has been left thoroughly unimpressed with Maresca's antics. He believes that the head coach should have simply kept quiet instead of sparking unnecessary drama.

“For me, it came out of nowhere," he told GFFN. "He said he had pressure over 48 hours, but said that it wasn’t the board, it wasn’t the fans. It can’t be me as an ESPN correspondent! I don’t understand it.

“I think that he felt under pressure. Which is normal, you’re at Chelsea! You play a great match against Arsenal when down to 10 men - raising questions about Arsenal’s strength - and you follow that up with two defeats and a draw.

"You bench the players who were performing well. It’s normal that the club asks some questions. Because this is Chelsea. It’s not a small club." Leboeuf believes that Maresca is doing "good work without it being excellent."

In particular, he is unimpressed by the Italian's rotation policy. "I was happy to play," he said. "I didn’t at all mind playing every three days. I don’t understand those who say that the players need to rest. If they’re on form, you play them."

The former France international thinks that Maresca needs to learn how to better cope with the pressure. "Just keep your head down and don’t say anything," he insists.

"Especially as you’ve just won your match! You’ve beaten Everton, just say ‘The last couple of weeks have been tough, but we’ve worked hard, we’ve beaten Everton, and we take it from there.’ Why create issues where there are none?”

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