Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca could leave his post before Sunday's match against Manchester City, with relations between the Italian and the club's hierarchy having deteriorated. The Blues have won just once in their past seven Premier League matches and sit fifth in the table - 15 points adrift of leaders Arsenal.

After their most recent game - a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on 30 December - assistant manager Willy Caballero said Maresca felt too unwell to speak to the media, but it is understood his absence was more due to him considering his next steps. There are reports of a board meeting on New Year's Day to address the situation.

Though they have fallen off the pace in the league, Chelsea have reached the Carabao Cup semi-finals, are preparing to restart their Champions League campaign and will face Charlton in the FA Cup third round.

At the end of November, Chelsea appeared in a harmonious place, with the team third in the Premier League and having recently dismantled Barcelona in the Champions League. Just one league win followed in December but it is not just results that added to the focus on Maresca, with fissures emerging between the Italian and the club's hierarchy.

Maresca stunned key figures at the club - and even his own staff - when, after beating Everton 2-0 for Chelsea's solitary Premier League win in December, he said "many people" had made it his "worst 48 hours" since joining the club. Those comments came from a position of strength after a good performance but were viewed dimly by the club hierarchy, at whom they appeared to be aimed.

Despite that, the plan remained to conduct an end-of-season review to decide whether to move forward with Maresca or part company. Those with knowledge of Maresca's views, though, said he was capable of walking away having grown unhappy at a multitude of factors, including encouragement to pick certain players, and a lack of protection from the club about the quality of his work.

All of which has made for an unsettling situation, with Chelsea - whose players will return to work on Friday - closer in points to 15th place than third in the Premier League. They next face Manchester City to start a difficult month that also includes games against Arsenal and Napoli. And it is possible - before that potentially defining period - that Maresca will not be in charge.

Chelsea's primary goal this season is to qualify for the Champions League, which remains realistic, while also aiming for domestic cup runs. Chelsea were satisfied with Maresca at the end of last season when he delivered Champions League qualification - regarded internally as his most important achievement - plus success in the Conference League and Club World Cup.

While victory in Europe's third-tier competition was broadly expected, beating Paris St-Germain to be crowned 'world champions' was a welcome surprise. Maresca had delighted key figures at Stamford Bridge - including sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Lawrence Stewart, and influential co-owner Behdad Eghbali.

In line with the agreed strategy when the Italian moved from Leicester City in 2024 - for which the club paid £10m - he focused on coaching the team while those above him oversaw much of the backroom staff, medical department and transfers. Their transfer policy - signing the world's best young players from 'lesser' leagues to create the youngest team in the Premier League - remains in place.

Maresca knew what he was signing up for - and his issues are not about the quality of players or the strategy, but about the perception of his work with a young group. The Italian is encouraged to rotate his squad, but often feels that when he does so in the Premier League, they drop points.

He has also openly urged reporters to question the club's hierarchy. Those familiar with his thinking say he has defended his work because he believes he is performing better than many have acknowledged, given the squad's age. He also feels the club should have offered him stronger protection from criticism.

Maresca also wanted to take on some external engagements following the club's recent successes. He had floated the idea of publishing a book but was blocked by the club, and spoke at Il Festival dello Sport - an event in Italy organised by La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper - without their permission.

He also made public that he disagreed with the club not signing a central defender after Levi Colwill injured his anterior cruciate ligament in pre-season. The club's hierarchy explained that doing so could prompt academy prospect Josh Acheampong to request a transfer, which ultimately led Maresca to back down.

Those close to Maresca, who has switched agents from the Wasserman agency to Jorge Mendes, say he is weighing up his future. He has been mooted as a potential successor to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, which Maresca described as "100% speculation".

In addition, he has increasingly avoided wearing club tracksuits, opting instead for his own clothing. Chelsea face a packed January schedule across four competitions. They begin with Sunday's Premier League trip to the Etihad, with a series of London derbies - home and away - against Fulham, Crystal Palace, Brentford, and West Ham before the end of the month.

In addition, they have an FA Cup third-round tie away to Charlton, a Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal, and two Champions League fixtures - at home to Pafos and away to Napoli. Chelsea realistically need to win both European games to avoid the play-off round and secure a top-eight finish in the league phase. The fifth place they occupy in the Premier League may be enough to secure a return to the Champions League for the 2026-27 season.