Chelsea legend warns club they have to hit the ground running to avoid ‘catastrophe’ after risky decision to sack Mauricio Pochettino

John Obi Mikel feels Chelsea will need to hit the ground running from next season

Former Cheslea star John Obi Mikel has already warned new manager Enzo Maresca ahead of the new season, as plenty of expectations will be placed on the Italian head coach to lead the Blues to a stronger campaign.

Chelsea sacked Mauricio Pochettino last month, despite the Argentine manager leading the Blues to a sixth-place finish and European competition qualification. However, the club decided to part ways with the Argentine on mutual consent.

And now the club will begin a new era, but Maresca will be under a lot of pressure to start from where Pochettino left off. The former Leicester City manager worked under Pep Guardiola as an assistant head coach, managed the Foxes, and led them to Premier League promotion.

However, Mikel feels the Chelsea season could turn into a catastrophe if they don’t hit the ground running immediately after the start of the new campaign. Speaking on his Obi One podcast, he further commented:

“Fourth position next season is a step forward, but we want to be winning trophies. So I’m sure the Chelsea fans have been patient, but if we don’t start the season well next season, that is going to be a catastrophe.’’

These will be the least expected from Maresca next season because he has been appointed as someone who can change Chelsea and make them a winning side. He has been working at City as an assistant coach and knows what it takes to win trophies. Pochettino did what he had to do, and now everything will be reliant on the Italian coach.

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There will be massive expectations from the start of the new season because fans will start questioning the club’s board ambitions if things don’t start the way they will. Moreover, Maresca has been handed a five-year contract, which means the Blues will back him and give him time to implement his approach. It will be interesting to see how things unfold under him.