Enzo Maresca's job at Chelsea is reportedly safe for the time being, despite the Italian coming under fire following just three wins in their last 10 Premier League games.
Maresca arrived at Stamford Bridge from Leicester last summer and looked to have transformed the Blues after leading them to a brief challenge with Liverpool for the title.
That came after picking up five wins in a row in December, but now they have fallen away following their torrid run of form and face a battle to qualify for the Champions League after a dismal 3-0 loss to Brighton on Friday.
Chelsea are currently sixth in the table, one point off fourth-placed Manchester City, but surprise packages Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest both look better placed to finish higher than the west Londoners this season.
However, Maresca still has a good chance of securing Champions League football given that the Premier League is likely to be given five Champions League spots next season due to their superior co-efficient over Italy's Serie A.
According to the Athletic, Chelsea's board - led by American owner Todd Boehly - are "happy'' with the team's progress under Maresca, a disciple of Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
It goes on to say that the Chelsea hierarchy even think Maresca is overperforming after the Italian was told he was not expected to qualify for the Champions League in his first season.
Chelsea have also seen their development disrupted by a spate of injuries. Maresca is currently without a recognised No.9 after losing Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu to injuries, while sending Joao Felix out on loan. Romeo Lavia, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Noni Madueke and Malo Gusto are also out, while Mykhailo Mudryk is suspended - so there will be sympathy towards his situation and the team's current decline.
Before the Brighton defeat, Maresca said Chelsea were heading in the "right direction" but could not hide his frustration after his team fell to an embarrassing defeat at the Amex - their second straight loss there after exiting in the FA Cup just days earlier.
"My frustration was about everything," he said. "We feel sorry for the fans that came. In the position that we are, arriving with 14 games to go, we need to do much better.
"We are in a moment when we feel we can concede easily and struggle to score. I think before the goal they didn't have some chances. There are many things we can do better. Now is the moment we need to stick together. I always feel pressure but this was the worst performance since I arrived."