Chelsea Football Club took the extraordinary measure of placing their head of medical staff on the substitutes' bench in a bid to control former manager Enzo Maresca, Daily Mail Sport can reveal. This drastic step came after Maresca repeatedly refused to substitute players who were returning from injury, directly contravening medical advice.
Medical Advice Ignored
The relationship between the Italian manager and the club's hierarchy deteriorated rapidly over his handling of fitness protocols. Sources disclose that a major rift developed, centred on Maresca's treatment of recovering stars. The situation reached a critical point following the re-injury of two unnamed players, incidents attributed to the manager not adhering to agreed recovery plans.
In response, Chelsea officials took the unusual step of inserting performance director and head of medical, Bryce Cavanagh, into the technical area. The no-nonsense Australian, a highly-regarded sports scientist formerly with the FA, was tasked with ensuring Maresca followed the structured return-to-play schedules designed to minimise relapse risk.
A Formal Breakdown in Relations
Cavanagh is understood to have taken his place on the bench for the first time during an away match on December 20. This came just a week after Maresca's first public hint of trouble, when he declared he had endured the "worst 48 hours" of his career following a victory over Everton. The move was part of a concerted club effort to enforce medical protocols, with Cavanagh reminding Maresca of the pre-agreed minutes for returning players.
The breakdown was so severe that Chelsea sent the manager a formal letter, reminding him of his responsibilities regarding player welfare. The relationship was strained further when Maresca informed the club he had held talks with representatives of Manchester City and Juventus in October and December last year.
Fallout and a New Era
Maresca, who had guided Chelsea to the Club World Cup trophy in the summer, was sacked earlier this month after a spectacular fall from grace. The club have since turned to Liam Rosenior, whose tenure began with a 5-1 FA Cup victory at Charlton. Rosenior joined from Strasbourg, part of the BlueCo multi-club model owned by Chelsea's US consortium.
Chelsea declined to comment on the matter. A representative for Enzo Maresca has been approached for comment.
