Portugal Colonial - Maresca committed to Chelsea despite outburst

The Italian made the surprising comments after his side's 2-0 win at home to Everton on Saturday, hitting out at unnamed parties for failing to support him and his players, though he stressed that he was not referring to fans.

He refused to clarify his comments at a press conference on Monday, on the eve of Chelsea's League Cup quarter-final at third-tier Cardiff.

Maresca became visibly impatient with requests for him to make sense of remarks that have fuelled intense speculation he was taking aim at the club's owners and sporting directors.

"I respect your (the media's) opinion and I respect people's opinion," he said. "But again, I don't have anything to add and my focus is just on tomorrow's game where we can achieve a third semi-final in 18 months since I joined the club."

He also reiterated he was not talking about the club's fans when he referred to a lack of support, saying: "I said after the game that I love Chelsea supporters. They deserve the best."

Asked whether he remained committed to the job, he said: "Absolutely, yes."

Maresca, who arrived at Chelsea in July 2024, won the UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup in his first season at Stamford Bridge.

His team are currently fourth in the Premier League table and still have a chance to qualify automatically for the last 16 of the Champions League.

The former Leicester boss said he was enjoying the season despite the intense pressure.

"When you are Chelsea manager, you understand that the expectations are higher, especially probably this season they are higher, raised a little bit compared to last season, probably because of the Club World Cup, Conference League, we finished fourth in the Premier League," he added.

P.Cavaco--PC