Maresca is NOT facing the sack as Chelsea refuse to panic due to two key factors

Enzo Maresca is safe in his position as Chelsea manager, with the club's hierarchy in no way panicking only six weeks into the season.

After successive Premier League losses to Manchester United then Brighton, Maresca faced noisy criticism from fans as he was accused of reacting negatively to red cards.

However, those reds for Robert Sanchez and Trevoh Chalobah are being taken into account by those above Maresca when assessing their slump. Indeed, it has been noted Chelsea have lost only five times in the last six months and had a man dismissed in four of those matches.

Maresca has also had to deal with an injury crisis, with Cole Palmer and Liam Delap among a long list of those sidelined, and Blues bosses have complete confidence in their head coach picking up the team's form.

Champions League football remains a priority for Chelsea this season along with respectable runs in the cup competitions they are involved in. They are set to face Jose Mourinho's Benfica in Europe's elite competition at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, followed by the visit of Arne Slot's Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday.

Chelsea went through a longer slump last season and ended up winning two trophies – the Conference League and the Club World Cup – while finishing in the top four.

That is partly why the club's leadership team, led by co-owner Behdad Eghbali, are looking at the bigger picture as they head into another significant week rather than following the narrative playing out among Maresca's critics on social media.