What Enzo Maresca said after FA Cup exit now looks so much worse after Chelsea’s Premier League defeat to Brighton

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Enzo Maresca was making things look pretty straightforward during his first few months in the Chelsea dugout, but the pressure is beginning to crank up on him and his players because of their shaky form recently.

Enzo Maresca was appointed the Chelsea manager at the start of the season off the back a year where he guided Leicester City to promotion from the Championship.

Even though the Blues were flying in the opening months of the 2024/25 campaign, they’ve now come crashing back down to reality. In particular, the previous two results have stopped them in their tracks.

Chelsea were knocked out of the FA Cup last weekend after a 2-1 defeat away to Brighton. They’ve just followed that up with a 3-0 loss away to Brighton in Friday night’s Premier League clash, too.

Remarkably, Chelsea had zero shots on target in the league defeat versus Brighton.

If results go against them this weekend, Maresca’s side could drop down from fourth to sixth in the league table.

• READ MORE: Chelsea player ratings vs Brighton as Levi Colwill struggles and attacker scores 1/10

Enzo Maresca’s comments after FA Cup exit look so much worse now

Straight after Chelsea were dumped out of the FA Cup by Brighton on 3 February, Maresca attempted to put a positive spin on things by claiming it would allow his side to focus their attention on the league and Conference League.

At the time, Chelsea fans rejected Maresca’s comments and mentioned a lack of mentality. The Blues head coach had said: “Probably, if there is something positive, it’s that now we can be focused on the Premier League and the Conference League.”

Well, Chelsea don’t have the distraction of the FA Cup any longer. The response to that in their first league game since is to be embarrassed 3-0 by Brighton.

The reality is that Maresca’s comments now look so much worse and should only further anger the fanbase.

For the Blues supporters, they’ve been so used to watching the club win trophies and regularly competing across the board in the last couple of decades. It’s certainly not okay to dismiss the cup competitions so easily, especially when they’re up against it in the race for Champions League qualification in the Premier League.

What’s next for Chelsea?

Maresca suggested that his Chelsea side could focus on their league form after exiting both domestic cup competitions. However, the nature of the Premier League means you don’t really get too many easy games.

It feels so important for the Blues to try to rebuild some momentum as well as trust from the fanbase.

Here is a look at who they play in their next four league fixtures:

Jamie Carragher says it’ll be a “disaster” if Chelsea don’t qualify for the Champions League, which is a race that looks like it could go down to the wire between several clubs.

Unfortunately, Maresca has made his bed with his comments about the cup competitions, so he desperately needs results in the Premier League.