‘He has got some things wrong at times’ : John Terry reacts to Chelsea’s decision to part ways with Enzo Maresca

Chelsea's head coach Enzo Maresca sits on a bench ahead of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Qarabag and Chelsea in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo, File)

Former Chelsea captain and club legend John Terry expressed shock at the exit of manager Enzo Maresca on Thursday. The 45-year-old said that he was “completely shocked” by the club’s decision to part ways with the Italian, admitting that he did not see it coming.

Maresca was sacked by the London club on Thursday, with the side having a difficult run of results in December, and reports of a worsening relationship between the manager and the Chelsea’s hierarchy.

“Enzo Maresca has just been sacked by Chelsea, and to be honest, I am completely shocked. I did not see it coming. I know things of late have not been how he would like. You can see and hear that there has been tension,” Terry said in a TikTok video.

The former centre-back felt that the decision to part ways with Maresca was an even bigger shock as it came a few weeks after Chelsea had defeated Barcelona in the Champions League.

“Just my opinion from afar, there has clearly been tension between the manager and the owner, and they have come to this decision. It is a big shock because rewind three or four weeks ago and we were playing so well against Barcelona,” he added.

The five-time Premier League winner felt that there may be certain factors behind the decision that he was not aware of, adding that, like the Chelsea squad, Maresca was also a developing manager, who may have made mistakes.

“But I will say there are always two sides to the story, and there are certainly things behind the scenes that I don’t know about. I just hear rumblings like everyone else does.”

“I think, like the squad, the manager is inexperienced himself. It was his first full-time job in the top-flight, and he has said how he is still learning and how he has got some things wrong at times,” he said.

In the statement announcing Maresca’s departure, Chelsea did not announce an interim manager, with the Under-21s coach Calum McFarlane expected to take charge for the Premier League clash against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.