By Liam Grace

Copyright metro

Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer have shared their thoughts on Enzo Maresca (Picture: YouTube)

Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer have been left stunned over rumours that Enzo Maresca is under pressure as Chelsea head coach.

Chelsea have struggled in recent weeks, failing to secure a victory across their last three Premier League games under the Italian.

The Blues drew 2-2 with Brentford before being reduced to 10 men in defeats to Manchester United and Brighton – while they also lost their opening Champions League match to Bayern Munich.

But Lineker and Shearer feel talk of Maresca being under pressure is unfair given he led Chelsea to the Conference League title last term while the west London side also landed the Club World Cup trophy this summer.

‘It’s funny football isn’t it – Maresca is apparently now under pressure,’ Lineker said on The Rest is Football Podcast.

‘He won two trophies recently, he’s got [Cole] Palmer out [with injury]. Surely not? He’s just won the Club World Cup.’

Shearer added: ‘He was probably expected to win the Conference League with Chelsea, but there weren’t too many people that tipped Chelsea to win the Club World Cup, and he did win it.

Enzo Maresca’s side have lost back-to-back Premier League games (Picture: Getty)

‘He’s lost two games in a row, and he’s lost them because essentially both times he’s gone down to 10 men, and we know how difficult that it is.

‘Because of it being Chelsea, you’re not going to get too much sympathy. Should he be under pressure? In my opinion, no, because he’s lost two games, but you know when you sign up to that football club that anything can happen.

‘You know the rules when you sign up to Chelsea, that can happen to you. Two losses and you’re under huge pressure is madness in football.’

Chelsea have denied rumours Enzo Maresca is under pressure (Picture: Getty)

Despite the rumours, Maresca maintains the full support of Chelsea bosses and there are currently no plans to sack the manager.

But Paul Merson has fired a warning to the 45-year-old, telling Sky Sports: ‘Chelsea have to keep players on the pitch. You look at the last two fixtures and you are thinking six points for Chelsea.

‘They’ve got no points from Man Utd and Brighton, and it’s so disappointing. The pressure is ramping up on Maresca.

‘They are a million miles from being convincing. They have a 20-minute spell in the game [against Brighton] where you think, ‘Wow! They are good’ – they were amazing in the first 20 minutes or so.

‘Then it just fizzles out. They can have another good 10 minutes but then it fizzles out again.

‘It’s a big week coming up now. They face Benfica and a certain Jose Mourinho before playing Liverpool.

‘If they lose to Liverpool that would be three defeats on the spin in the league.

‘That would be pressure. Maresca would be under severe pressure.’