"I don't think that is the correct thing to do" - Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca on how Guardiola feels after conversation amid Manchester City struggles

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has backed Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola amid the Etihad outfit's ongoing struggles with current form. The reigning Premier League champions have won only one of their last 10 matches across all competitions.

The Cityzens are seventh in the league table with 27 points in 17 matches, 12 points behind leaders Liverpool, who also have a game in hand. Meanwhile, they are 22nd in the UEFA Champions League with eight points after six matches.

Addressing the current form of the defending champions, Maresca stated that he had a conversation with Pep Guardiola and the Manchester City boss knows what's wrong with his side.

He said (via the Standard):

"I spoke with Pep yesterday and he is completely calm and knows exactly what has happened there. But the one thing we know in football is that because of the situation they have there, people are waiting for something bad to happen so they can be happy."

The Italian tactician added:

"When you see someone being so successful season after season, the moment they drop, people love to say: 'Ah, look, he is not good enough.' But I don't think that is the correct thing to do."

Enzo Maresca has worked with City in two different spells. He worked as the City's Under-23 team manager during the 2020-21 season, while he was Pep Guardiola's assistant during the 2022-23 campaign.

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Manchester City and Chelsea receive a boost in pursuit to sign 27-year-old defender: Reports

Chelsea and Manchester City have received a boost in the race to sign Theo Hernandez. According to TBR Football, the Frenchman is reportedly not interested in signing a new contract with AC Milan. Apart from the two Premier League giants, Real Madrid are also interested in signing the Frenchman.

Theo Hernandez joined AC Milan in July 2019 from Real Madrid. Since then, he has made 232 appearances for Rossoneri, bagging 31 goals and 41 assists across all competitions. However, his form is slowly declining and the Serie A giants are open to selling the Frenchman.

The 27-year-old's current contract with Rossoneri will expire in the summer of 2026. As a result, the Serie A giants will prefer selling Hernandez next summer instead of letting him leave on a free transfer in 2026. The Cityzens don't have a natural left-back in their line-up while the Blues are interested in bolstering their squad.