Chelsea fans turn on Enzo Maresca after 'embarrassing' decision he made with one player during Ipswich defeat

Chelsea fans have turned on Enzo Maresca and slated their manager for one decision he made in the shock loss to Ipswich.

Earlier this month and the Blues looked like they might be the biggest threat to Liverpool's title ambitions after an impressive win over Spurs but the wheels appear to have come off.

A disappointing 0-0 draw with Everton was followed up by a last-gasp home loss to West London rivals Fulham and their woes continued with a surprise defeat to relegation-threatened Ipswich Town on Monday.

Liam Delap scored a penalty after a controversial spot-kick decision before former Chelsea starlet Omari Hutchinson bagged the second at the start of the second half.

All of a sudden Maresca is under pressure and the fanbase were not happy with his selection against Ipswich.

The Italian elected to play central defender Axel Disasi at right-back despite Reece James, Malo Gusto and Josh Acheampong all being on the bench.

And on X, formerly known as Twitter, fans fumed at their manager for a decision which was branded "embarrassing".

One said: "Enzo Maresca has 3 RB’s on the bench and still chose to start Disasi. Embarrassing."

A second agreed: "Enzo Maresca why? We’ve got 3 RB you decided to play us Disasi."

A third commented: "All on Maresca. You cannot play Axel Disasi at right back. He’s inept."

A fourth added: "If Enzo Maresca is as committed to controlling games as he suggests, then Axel Disasi should not be playing again. This is not the first time he has made a massive mistake and it has led to a goal."

A final user vented: "Disasi is quite simply a horrific footballer. Signing him was bad enough, but to routinely play him the way Maresca does is baffling."

Chelsea end 2024 in fourth place, though Newcastle are now just three points behind them after an impressive 2-0 win away at Manchester United.

Chelsea will hoping to end the three-game winless run with a trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday before they host Morecambe at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup third round on 11 January.