Enzo Maresca urges Chelsea fans to trust him as Blues fight for Champions League spot | OneFootball

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has urged fans to keep faith in his leadership, insisting the team is showing real signs of progress despite recent setbacks.

The 45-year-old Italian faced jeers from sections of the Stamford Bridge crowd during Sunday’s disappointing 2-2 draw against Ipswich Town.

The Blues went 2-0 down in the opening half an hour before mounting a late comeback courtesy of an Axel Tuanzebe own goal and a well-taken goal from Jadon Sancho.

However, that didn’t stop the home crowd from letting their feelings be known about the team’s performance and Maresca’s tactical system, especially when playing out from the back.

Maresca expressed concerns about the atmosphere during the games and suggested that the fans’ negative reaction had an impact on the players.

“I am not able to do a different style,” Maresca said in his post-match press conference.

“The message [is] that with [the] fans [behind us] we are a better team. I completely understand that, as a team, we have to engage our fans.

“That’s something that on Sunday we were not able to do, especially for those 20 or 25 minutes. It is also on us to be good enough to engage our fans.”

The result dropped Chelsea to sixth in the Premier League, leaving their Champions League ambitions hanging by a thread.

A top-five finish will guarantee a spot in Europe’s elite tournament next season, but with six games remaining, the Blues are losing ground in the race.

Maresca also defended his record since taking charge of the Blues.

“I think we proved this season [that we are progressing] even if sometimes from the outside it is difficult to see,” he added.

“In the last two years, Chelsea has been in the top four zero times. This season, we have been in the top four for most of the season.

“I think the fans have to trust us, the team and what the club is doing now because if in the last two seasons, Chelsea was not in the top four and this season Chelsea was in the top four most of the year – that’s big proof the team is improving and doing the right things.”

Chelsea will now turn their attention to the Europa Conference League quarter-final. They will be keen to see off Legia Warsaw in the second leg after claiming a 3-0 win in Poland.