Enzo Maresca suggested this week that Chelsea fans could “decide” whether or not they approved of his team after boos rang out at half-time during Sunday’s draw with Ipswich. The truth is, many already have – and they’re not impressed.
The mood around Stamford Bridge has turned, with Maresca now facing growing unrest from the stands as Chelsea limp towards the end of another turbulent season. Despite still being in the mix for a Champions League spot and in contention to win the UEFA Conference League, there is little belief in the team’s direction or style. It feels like a distant memory that supporters were singing “We’ve got our Chelsea back” before Christmas, when the Blues surged into second place. Since then, the wheels have come off. Only West Ham, Manchester United and Tottenham have picked up fewer points in 2024 – not counting the promoted sides – and Chelsea have looked every bit as disjointed as their league position suggests.
It’s a damning reflection on Maresca’s reign that some fans are even reminiscing about Mauricio Pochettino. While never truly loved at the Bridge, the Argentine at least had the team finishing strong last season and – crucially – got the best out of Cole Palmer. The England international has struggled under Maresca, and his form has become a lightning rod for the wider frustrations with the manager’s rigid approach. Palmer’s pass for Jadon Sancho’s equaliser against Ipswich was only his second assist in 22 matches. He hasn’t scored since January 14, a run now stretching over 1,100 minutes, and while he nearly won the game on Sunday with a late curler, he remains a shadow of the player who was dragging Chelsea forward just months ago.
Palmer has now had 39 shots without scoring – the most in the Premier League in that stretch. The next closest are Savinho and Kudus, both stuck on 17. Those numbers point to a player increasingly desperate, trying to force the issue in a team offering him little support. Some have even questioned if Palmer was a flash in the pan – a one-and-a-half season wonder. But it feels more accurate to blame the system than the player.
Maresca’s setup often demands Palmer play deeper and more centrally, which limits his ability to impact the game in the final third. Under Pochettino, he was allowed to roam, to play instinctively, and the results were electric. Expecting a 22-year-old in only his second full Premier League season to carry this Chelsea team every week was always ambitious. Doing so while restricting his influence feels like mismanagement.
In truth, Chelsea’s problems go far beyond Palmer. They stem from a squad that still feels carelessly assembled despite a £1.5 billion spend under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. This week it was revealed Chelsea spent £60 million on agents’ fees alone this season – more than any other English club. That staggering outlay has produced a side fighting for fourth place while two of the ‘big six’ languish near the relegation zone and Nottingham Forest have been a fixture in the top half.
The club’s biggest attacking additions – Pedro Neto, Joao Felix (who has already departed), and Jadon Sancho – have done little to ease the burden on Palmer. The result is a lopsided squad that still leans far too heavily on one young player to create and score, while others coast. Palmer remains, by some distance, the best signing of the Boehly era. But unless Maresca can find a way to unlock him again, Chelsea’s already-fractured season risks ending in failure – and the fans have already made it clear who they’ll blame.