Are suggestions Maresca is under pressure unfair?

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was quick to defend his record last week, bristling at suggestions that his future is under scrutiny.

At a Tuesday press conference, Maresca dismissed negativity about his tenure, telling reporters there was "no reason to be negative" and highlighting that only five matches in six months have ended in defeat - four of which involved a Chelsea player being sent off.

Chelsea next face Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, where a third straight Premier League defeat - which last occurred for the Blues in May 2023 under interim manager Frank Lampard - would leave them trailing Arne Slot's reigning champions by a daunting 10 points.

That would all but end any prospect of Chelsea winning the Premier League, before the October international break even begins.

Despite their struggles Maresca's position seems secure for now, with Chelsea content with securing Champions League qualification at the end of last season as well as winning two trophies - the Conference League and Club World Cup.

Maresca continues to divide the club's fanbase and asked what it would take for them to chant his name, he said on Monday: "Continue to win trophies.

"To be honest, I would like it [to happen] one day for sure but it's not my target. I'm already happy."

BBC Sport examines the causes of Chelsea's recent downturn, their prospects of a turnaround and the mounting pressure on Maresca.

The statistics point to one main factor: mistakes.

Chelsea have made 12 mistakes leading to shots and five that have led to goals, more than any other club in the Premier League this term, on top of mistakes in consecutive matches which resulted in red cards.

Maresca has described those errors as "presents" but has played down ill-discipline around the red cards, noting that Robert Sanchez and Trevoh Chalobah were going for the ball but mistimed their challenges.

Interestingly, Maresca admits he needs to do better managing with 10 men, saying: "After reviewing the last two games, United and Brighton with 10 players, I could have done better probably in terms of [my] decisions."

Chelsea have received 114 yellow cards and four red cards since the start of last season, more than any other Premier League side.

The Blues also have six yellow cards and one red in two Champions League matches this season.

It highlights that teams can find weaknesses in Maresca's short-passing, slow-build football, designed to control games and avoid counter-attacks.

Levi Colwill, Tosin Adarabioyo, Cole Palmer, Chalobah, Andrey Santos, Wesley Fofana, Liam Delap and Dario Essugo are out injured or suspended.

The loss of star attacker Palmer and defender Colwill, who is key in building attacks from the back, has been the most consequential.

Additionally, Chalobah's suspension limits Maresca's defensive options, as he has already used six different centre-back partnerships in his past 10 games.

Maresca has linked the injury problems to Chelsea winning the Club World Cup by defeating Paris St-Germain 3-0 in the final in New Jersey in mid-July.

That victory created increased stress on players, according to a recent FifPro report, and forced Chelsea and injury-hit PSG into shortened pre-season preparations.

That said, Chelsea have a squad large enough to avoid using academy players in the Premier League.

Chelsea have had an average starting XI age in the Premier League of just 24.1 years, tied with Sunderland as the youngest, according to Transfermarkt.

The Blues have deliberately built a young squad, the only one in the Premier League not to have featured a player over 30 in a matchday squad.

However, this youth could be linked to both mistakes and indiscipline, and Chelsea have also faced criticism for the quality of their defence and goalkeepers.

After a defeat at Manchester United, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher said: "You can't turn up at Old Trafford with the goalkeeper and centre-backs you've got. That just can't win you the league."

Sanchez has made a league-high 10 mistakes leading to shots and five leading to goals since the start of last season yet his deputy, Filip Jorgensen, also underperformed against Lincoln last week.

Chelsea are understood to remain content about a decision to not sign AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan for £25m, with Sanchez retaining the backing of the hierarchy and his manager.

Maresca requested a new central defender after Levi Colwill required surgery for a serious knee injury in August, but Chelsea wanted him to use the squad's existing options.

Chelsea had already explored the market for central defenders but signed only Ajax's Jorrel Hato - ahead of Piero Hincapie, who was also considered but now plays for Arsenal.

Chelsea also admired Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi but watched on as Liverpool's deal for the defender collapsed on deadline day and believe they didn't miss any game-changing options signed by league rivals.

Additionally, Chelsea want to maintain pathways for players out on loan such as Strasbourg goalkeeper Mike Penders and defender Mamadou Sarr, along with Dortmund defender Aaron Anselmino.

Nevertheless, it remains debatable whether Chelsea's youthful squad is strong enough to win the league while meeting the increased demands of competing in the Champions League for the first time in two and a half years.