Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has said he will be “very surprised” if Enzo Maresca remains in the Chelsea hot seat for the entire 2024-25 season. Carragher also lauded ex-Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino for getting the best out of Cole Palmer, suggesting Maresca might struggle to yield the same results.
Jamie Carragher Does Not Think Enzo Maresca Will Survive At Chelsea
Coming on as Pochettino’s replacement earlier this summer, former Leicester City manager Maresca oversaw a lackluster pre-season campaign in the United States. Under his tutelage, the Pensioners lost four of the five matches they played, with their only victory coming against Club America. During the pre-season run in the States, Chelsea scored nine goals and conceded 15.
The West Londoners will face Inter Milan in their final pre-season friendly at Stamford Bridge on August 11 before turning their attention to the Premier League opener against Manchester City on August 18.
Looking at the difficulties Maresca has already encountered, Carragher said on The Overlap podcast (via Evening Standard):
“The way Chelsea’s pre-season has gone… they’ve got Man City [in the] first game of the season… I’ll be surprised if Maresca is still the manager come the end of the season, very surprised.”
Carragher Credits Pochettino For Palmer Development
Amid the doom and gloom last season, new signing Palmer emerged as a beacon of hope for Chelsea. The England international led the attack with authority, chipping in with 25 goals and 15 assists in 45 games in all competitions. Thanks to his heroics, especially toward the business end of the season, Chelsea closed its 2023-24 Premier League campaign with five victories on the bounce.
According to Carragher, Pochettino did an excellent job with the 2023-24 Young Player of the Season — something Maresca might struggle to do.
He added:
“My worry for Chelsea is that Pochettino deserves a lot of credit for how Palmer performed last season. No one expected that, not even Pep, otherwise he wouldn’t have sold him. So they might not have that Cole Palmer this season.
“I’m sure they will because I think he’s fantastic but a new manager has come in so it’s different.”
Although it will be difficult to fill Pochettino’s shoes, Maresca should not sell himself short. He has worked with Palmer in the Manchester City youth team, so they must already have some understanding of each other’s working mantra.
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