Chelsea have slipped out of the Premier League‘s top four under Liam Rosenior and now face a difficult fight to secure Champions League qualification.
A congested fixture schedule has compounded the problem, leaving little time on the training ground to implement tactical ideas or build consistency between matches.
As a result, performances have become increasingly uneven during a crucial stage of the season.
Cucurella questions Maresca Chelsea sacking
Left-back Marc Cucurella has raised concerns about Chelsea’s decision to part ways with Enzo Maresca earlier this year, suggesting the timing disrupted progress.
“Liam [Rosenior] is a very good person and has been great at handling the group, the characters,” Cucurella told The Athletic in an exclusive interview ahead of Spain’s 3-0 win against Serbia in Villarreal.
“He likes to stay close to us and his football ideas are good, but we don’t have the time to train them.
“We train on [playing in] competitive games, because we play every three days, and that leaves you with no time to work on the training ground. In this context, it is normal that your plans sometimes don’t work out, and then we go through difficult moments.
Stability lost after Maresca departure
Maresca had previously overseen a period of stability at Stamford Bridge, guiding the team to silverware before his departure in January following tensions with the club’s hierarchy.
Cucurella believes that continuity under the Italian had allowed players to fully understand their roles, something the team is now missing.
“With Enzo Maresca in charge, we were more stable, because we worked together for 18 months. If you look at our first pre-season with him, there were doubts,” said the Chelsea left-back.
“You need a process for every player to understand what we need to do. In our last months with Maresca, we played almost by heart. If we changed the system, we knew what we had to do. You need that time.
“Look at Arsenal now, who are fighting for every trophy. They’ve been with [Mikel] Arteta for almost seven years and they have not won much. But that trust in the project gives rewards.”
With the season entering its decisive phase, Chelsea must quickly find solutions if they are to return to the top four, but Cucurella’s comments underline a wider concern that long-term progress may have been set back.
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