Sky Sports’ Gail Davies writes: I think some will agree with Enzo Maresca’s feelings about January being a “disaster”, but probably for different reasons.

It sounds like the Chelsea boss doesn’t have much time to make New Year’s resolutions. It took him several minutes to work out when his last day off would be – which, for the record, was sometime during the November international break.

His main concern is finding a way to reignite Chelsea’s season. The club’s last league victory came against Brentford in mid-December and they missed out on a chance to go top of the table ahead of Fulham on Boxing Day and have not won in the league since. Add to that the rising ‘noise’ that comes with the January transfer window, especially at a club like Chelsea, and you begin to understand his disdain for the month.

He joked that the answer to being a happy Chelsea manager was probably to keep his phone on silent this month.

“I’d better not answer,” he said, laughing.

The other pressing issue is that finding a way to get Chelsea winning again may not be as easy as flipping a switch. The concern for Chelsea is that a pattern is emerging.

Against Fulham on Boxing Day, they dominated the first half and took the lead, only to find themselves stuck in a game plan they didn’t want to play after half-time, with the game ending 2-1 to Fulham. Ended with victory. Maresca’s side again wasted resources in front of goal and then lost to Ipswich Town. Cole Palmer then gave Chelsea the lead but they were unable to close out the game and subsequently drew with Crystal Palace. Chelsea had 26 shots against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge last Tuesday, 10 of which were on target – with Palmer opening the scoring but they needed a Reece James free-kick to salvage a point.

Maresca has faced such ups and downs in his short coaching career. Last year at Leicester City, after winning the title in the opening months, the club struggled.

He said he did learn from it and could use some of the things he did to help Leicester get over the hump and get back to the Premier League. Ultimately, he said, the risks seem greater, but the solutions are the same.

“No, I don’t feel pressure, whether I was at Leicester last year or here. I mean, I feel pressure because I put pressure on myself to see how we can do better, how we can help the players Improve,” he said.

“So that pressure is definitely there, but it’s not just here. This was last year and to some extent two years ago. So to me, there’s not a huge change between last year and this year. .

“In the end, the best thing is working with 20, 25 players every day. Young players, they want to learn, they want to improve. It’s the same thing as working at Leicester City and here or where I was two years ago at a certain time.”

He added: “If you look at the table at the moment, unless you’re Liverpool, we’ve all been through a bad moment, bad results in four or five games, Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle, Aston Villa. , Manchester City, us.

“So I think the normal thing is that moments like this happen during the season, that’s a normal thing. It’s not true for Liverpool and if they can finish the season the way they’re doing, that means They fully deserved the victory but there are still too many games to play and anything can happen.”

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Monday, January 20, 6:30 p.m.

In those more challenging moments, I ask “Do you have a network of people outside of your coaching staff that you can turn to?”

Given that Maresca played for 11 different clubs in four different countries under the likes of Carlo Ancelotti and Marcelo Lippi, and of course Pep Guardiola, you can only Imagine the names and numbers saved in his contacts, so the answer is surprising.

“My four kids,” he said.

“I don’t think you could be more honest than your children,” I added. “But really, there’s no one else?”

“No, I didn’t,” Maresca replied. “I have the coaching staff around me and we try to help each other and then I don’t have anyone outside the club, or outside the coaching staff,” he admitted.

It’s clear that he has an unshakable belief in what he’s doing. I ask, you don’t need anyone else.

“Not at the moment and hopefully not in the future, but for now I’m OK. I spend almost all day here, from 7 to 7, and then I go home to my four kids and my wife, and I Trying to regain a little energy.”

“So, come on,” I asked, “what’s the best thing your kids have said to you in the past few weeks? Like, ‘Dad, when are you going to start scoring?’ I joked.

“The good news is they’re starting to understand now,” Maresca said. “The oldest one is 11 years old, so sometimes he asks me about some changes and I say, the media have asked me, the fans have asked me and now my children are also asking me about some changes.

“Can’t you just love your dad and not worry? Okay, okay, okay, I love you, dad?”

If only things were always as easy as laughing for us.

There’s a lightness and warmth behind Maresca, but the overriding feeling when talking to him is one of intensity and a real steel – something that’s not surprising when you consider the impact Guardiola has had on his coaching career. strangeness.

He has shown in his short time at Chelsea that he can sometimes make unpopular decisions. He said he disputed the “cruel” description as “more honest”.

“I think if you’re honest with the players, if you’re open, if they can see that you’re real and you’re not fake, I think that’s the best way to go. From the moment we started, from day one, I tried to Being open and honest with them, I try to be honest with them and I think they can see that.

“I hope they understand this. I try to stay close to the players because I think I like to stay close to the players and then, like I said, honestly make it work. “

The team is never in doubt where they are and where they need to be – that’s the focus now, although Maresca admitted in January that it would be difficult for some players.

Cole Palmer is a player who has been setting those standards, and he certainly won’t be going anywhere for a while. Palmer is doubtful for Monday’s game against Wolves after picking up an injury against Bournemouth, but he has been in fine form this season. He opened the scoring on Tuesday night, adding to his impressive list of achievements in a Chelsea shirt.

Palmer had signed a nine-year deal, which was surprising at the time, perhaps until news of Erling Haaland’s contract deal came to light just before our interview. Two poster boys of the Premier League, the two Maresca players had the privilege of working in close quarters – but if we look back ten years from now, they may become even bigger legends at their clubs.

“It’s too complicated,” Maresca replied. “It’s almost impossible. First, because you can imagine some futures, but in the end you don’t know, a lot of things can happen.

“The thing is, clubs like Manchester City, Chelsea, they try to protect or keep their best players for as long as possible. The good news is, both are top players and they will be there for a long time.” For a long time we can enjoy them. “

There is an argument to be made that Palmer’s skills may bring more to his team than Haaland does. Maresca smiled: “We are happy with his performance, but as we have said from the beginning, it is not right to rely on Cole for everything. He is helping us, but we also have more outstanding performances Players, that’s important.”

Those players are likely to get their chance on Monday and if they can take advantage of it, things could start to change for the Chelsea manager this month.

Watch Chelsea v Wolves live on Sky Sports Premier League Monday Night Football at 6.30pm, with kick-off at 8pm.