John Obi Mikel responds to Chelsea fans who are turning on Enzo Maresca

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Like always, Chelsea’s head coach has become a talking point due to the team’s recent run of poor results. John Obi Mikel has now spoken up to deliver his verdict on Enzo Maresca amid plenty of scrutiny.

Chelsea slipped to a disappointing 3-1 defeat at home to Brighton last weekend, which means it’s just two wins from their opening six Premier League matches this season.

Blues manager Enzo Maresca, 45, has received some strong criticism from some areas. In particular, some Chelsea fans want Maresca removed, even though he won two trophies during his first campaign in charge last year.

Reports claim that Stamford Bridge officials are still backing Maresca in his current role, so he will get the time to fix the mini slump.

• READ MORE: How Enzo Maresca truly feels about Chelsea squad amid poor form

John Obi Mikel refuses to turn on Enzo Maresca like some Chelsea fans

John Obi Mikel, the former Chelsea star, has firmly voiced his support for Maresca because he massively rates him as a coach.

His message to the Italian boss is that he needs to start beating the lesser teams more frequently. He maintains confidence in him as the club’s head coach, though.

Speaking on The Obi One Podcast, Mikel said: “I know a lot of the Chelsea fans are slowly now trying to turn against Enzo Maresca. I like Enzo Maresca. I think he’s a fantastic manager, but he needs to find a way of winning games. He needs to find a way of winning the small games, the easy games…

“Enzo Maresca as well needs to become a winning manager. I know a lot of fans are saying, ‘Is he a winning manager, or is he just a manager to compete?’ I believe that he can start to win trophies. He needs to change his mentality and be more proactive.”

Gary Lineker insists Maresca can’t be under pressure despite a sticky path in September, where they have one win in five games across all competitions.

We would strongly argue that Maresca has a huge amount of credit in the bank. Of course, the pressure is on him and the entire group to quickly get back to winning ways, but it should be reiterated he’s the most successful coach at the club since Thomas Tuchel.

Mikel’s goal for the Chelsea boss is to become a winning manager. In September, it is clearly far too early to be making damning judgements on his second season in charge.

Can Enzo Maresca lift Chelsea before next international break?

It could feel like a very long October international break if Chelsea don’t pick up a win in either of their two fixtures before the next domestic pause in the season.

As you can see above, the Blues host Portuguese giants Benfica on Tuesday night in the group phase of the Champions League. They certainly need the points after losing to Bayern Munich in their opener.

Afterwards, Maresca’s side welcome league leaders Liverpool to the Bridge for another tough match.

With several key players absent for the Blues right now, it is up to some others to really step up at a crucial time in the season.