Next came Marc Cucurella, who called Maresca “the most important” of the six coaches he has had at Chelsea (including Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Frank Lampard and Mauricio Pochettino).
“We knew what Maresca wanted from us. Winning a title like the Club World Cup also helps, strengthens the bond, and you create great relationships during the celebrations,” the full-back told The Athletic. “When a manager gives you that confidence and offers you a platform to fight for titles, you’d die for him. The moment Maresca left, it had a big impact on us. These are decisions taken by the club. If you asked me, I would not have made this decision.”
Fernandez’s words in particular were interpreted as a slight against Rosenior, while Cucurella spoke directly of the English coach.
“He likes to stay close to us and his football ideas are good, but we don’t have the time to train them. In this context, it is normal that your plans sometimes don’t work out, and then we go through difficult moments,” he said. With Enzo Maresca in charge, we were more stable, because we worked together for 18 months.”
Malo Gusto also said he liked Rosenior – “He wants to share with us his passion for football and I feel like I want to play for him” – and yet he could not deny that the change was hugely disruptive, calling it “a bit complicated” and “a big change”.
“A lot of us are young but we have quality to deal with this. We just have to trust the process and do our best to put Chelsea where it is supposed to be,” Gusto added.
