Chelsea news: Opinion – Fan writer on what Enzo Maresca wants

Three wins in a row have not halted the growing signs of a culture war developing at Chelsea.

The first 45 minutes against Copenhagen on Thursday were being called the most boring the Blues had played in years – but the effort against Leicester just three days later ran them pretty close.

On Sunday, there were pretty severe grumbles from the Stamford Bridge crowd as the team left the field at half-time.

The problem is not that the players are not performing well – it is that this is a group of players doing exactly as they are instructed by their manager. Those instructions – to keep the ball at all costs and to take more risks in playing out from the back than they do in the final third – are coming in loud and clear from Enzo Maresca.

The head coach was defiant when asked in the news conference after the game about the groans around the stadium when Enzo Fernandez turned down a chance to move the ball forward quickly, instead electing to pass it backwards.

“Enzo knows if he doesn’t play back, I will change him. If the goalkeeper plays long, I will change him,” Maresca stated bluntly, essentially a direct message to the fans to suck it up.

That sets out his stall pretty clearly. What he wants is in direct opposition to what most supporters want to see. It is not impossible to get the crowd to back a team playing controlled football. Jose Mourinho did it. But he had the weight of unimpeachable results behind him. Maresca does not – yet.

The next three games are vital for the picture being built up of this season and Maresca’s achievements. Nobody will mind how Chelsea play against Arsenal and Tottenham if they get six points.

But if you play results football and do not get the results, fans have every right to question what they are paying for.

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News