Chelsea were hot on the heels of Premier League leaders Liverpool in December courtesy of their 2-1 home win against Brentford.
But the Blues’ title credentials quickly faded and now Enzo Maresca is facing arguably his biggest challenge yet – winning over the fans.
On Sunday, Chelsea came from behind to snatch a 2-2 draw at home to an Ipswich Town side whose relegation is all but confirmed.
They were two goals down within 31 minutes during a first half that saw some home fans at Stamford Bridge almost reach boiling point.
A common occurrence of Levi Colwill starting a goal kick as opposed to goalkeeper Robert Sanchez drew jeers from the Chelsea faithful.
Possession was lost moments later and Ipswich midfielder Jens Cajuste saw an effort sail just wide to kickstart more vocal protests.
Boos rang out and when Colwill went to take the resulting goal kick, Sanchez directed his teammates forward instead of the usual tactic.
Just a few seconds passed before Ipswich scored their second goal after winning back possession and finding the head of Ben Johnson.
In his post-match press conference, Maresca hinted the ‘environment’ meant his players lost confidence: “This is the moment that you have to continue doing the right things and don’t change plan.
“Also because we are a team that most of the time, our goal kick will start from playing short. The second goal, we decide to play [the goal kick] long because the environment was there and we concede the second one.”
But talkSPORT’s Martin Keown senses the atmosphere from Chelsea fans is worsening, and Maresca’s comments put him up against them.
“I was there for the Leicester game [1-0 win in March], just a few games back, I mean I’m just looking through, they’re winning their games 1-0, they beat Spurs 1-0,” he said on White and Jordan.
“It’s becoming a little bit toxic, and I was watching them trying to build up play. Again, it all comes through the keeper when the fans are just not convinced that they can play out through the back.
“No one’s looking like they’ve got any confidence, and the fans are sort of like, ‘Come on, you need to bin that.’ Now the manager, what he’s said, they’ve gone long for the second goal and then they concede, so the manager is saying, ‘Don’t listen to the fans.’
“Now the thing is, at the end of the day, this fanbase have been brought up on 21 trophies in 19 seasons with the former regime.
Enzo Maresca on Chelsea fans and environment
“I think we lost a little bit of confidence because we concede, probably because the environment.
“This is the moment that you have to continue doing the right things and don’t change plan, also because we are a team that most of the time, our goal kick will start from playing short.
“The second goal, we decide to play [the goal kick] long because the environment was there and we concede the second one.
“So you have to be strong, you have to continue with the things that you are doing.”
“So they know what it’s about to win things and they’re not convinced, and that’s a difficult environment for this young team to play in, without doubt, and that’s what he’s up against.”
Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan also said that he’s unsure about what Maresca expects from Chelsea fans after not performing against sides they should be beating with relative ease.
“If you’re playing the team that’s second or third from bottom in the league, then he’s walking a tightrope by making an observation about what the players should and shouldn’t be able to achieve against a side that’s probably bereft of confidence.
“Because they’re about to get relegated, so I don’t think he gets that pass. Now, whether the Chelsea fans are creating an environment that’s conducive to their players responding, I don’t know. Which way is it around?
“It’s a balancing act, is it the fans’ job to get the players going, or is it the players’ job to get the fans going? I mean, I think it’s a Faustian pact, isn’t it? Ultimately, you’d like to do it concurring with one another at the same time, simultaneously.
“But when you’re playing teams like Ipswich, or you’re playing teams like Leicester, or you’re playing teams like Southampton, there’s a challenge.
“Because it’s an almost baked-in assumption from the fans that you’re going to put them to the sword. And if you find yourself two goals down against a team that’s getting relegated, I’m not entirely sure what you expect from your fans.”
Three days later, Maresca was asked if his style of football is able to entertain Chelsea fans and provided an honest admission.
“I am not able to do a different style,” he said ahead of their UEFA Conference League quarter-final second leg against Legia Warsaw.
“The message [is] that with [the] fans [behind the team] 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.”
Chelsea were exceeding expectations this season when competing with Liverpool at the top of the Premier League.
Champions League qualification has become a more realistic outcome since then, but even this is no longer guaranteed.
Since beating Brentford in December, Chelsea have won just five of their last 16 league matches, with six ending in defeat.
The Blues are sixth and a point behind Manchester City, who occupy a new fifth-place spot that guarantees Champions League football.
Should Chelsea remain where they are, they will qualify for the league phases of next season’s Europa League.
They can also reach Europe’s second-tier competition by winning the Conference League, a competition they’ve eased through so far.
Chelsea beat Legia Warsaw 3-0 in their quarter-final first leg last week and host them tonight for the second leg.
Stamford Bridge will want a much-improved performance from the draw with Ipswich, with Maresca also needing to get fans back onside.
