Enzo Maresca thrown into the deep end on Chelsea’s US tour: The dressing room is split over Enzo Fernandez, Trevoh Chalobah has been left at home… now they face five games in five different cities

If Enzo Maresca was looking for a quiet start at Chelsea, things couldn’t have gone much worse.

The Blues arrived in the United States on Tuesday for their two-week pre-season tour of the US. He is already dealing with all sorts of problems.

Stability is rarely a word associated with Chelsea. Chelsea have changed managers and players without hesitation over the past two decades. Maresca was responsible for a chaotic week at Stamford Bridge as we know it.

Early signs were positive, with players who were not taking part in Euro 2024 or the Copa America returning to training at the beginning of this month and quickly becoming enthusiastic about Maresca’s approach.

Those first few days were a blessing for the Italian boss. Then everything went wrong.

After Argentina’s Copa America victory, they celebrated on the team bus and sang an insulting song aimed at France’s black players.

The song, which was filmed by Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, was branded ‘racist’ by the French Football Federation and a complaint was immediately filed. The song was also not well received in West London.

Fernandez’s team-mate Wesley Fofana called the chant “blatant racism” and unfollowed the £107m star on Instagram. Two other Chelsea players, Malo Gusto and Axel Disasi, followed suit.

Chelsea striker David Datro Fofana called on the football world to “take the fight against racism seriously”, but Fernandez received support from Nicolas Jackson, who posted a bizarre video showing Fernandez playing with a black child.

Jackson’s attitude indicates a rift in the locker room, which Maresca must quickly repair.

Chelsea responded by releasing a statement condemning “all forms of discriminatory behavior.” Fernandez has since apologized for his actions and insisted he is not racist.

However, this may not be enough to get his teammates back on his side. He was thrust into the spotlight once again when he was showcased at his old club River Plate, after which the entire stadium started chanting the attacking chant again.

Fernandez is likely to be fined by Chelsea and could face a ban of up to 12 matches if the English Football Association decides to investigate and punish him for his behaviour.

Meanwhile, Maresca will undoubtedly face some tough questions about Fernandez and will struggle to convince fans and the media that all his players are signing under the same motto.

Maresca’s efforts to create a harmonious atmosphere within the club are also not served by the decision to send youth player Trevoh Chalobah back to the United Kingdom.

Chalobah has been at Chelsea since he was nine years old and is a popular member of the squad that finished last season strongly.

But he has now been declared surplus to requirements and looks set to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.

Chelsea have invested heavily in signing players for lucrative fees over the past two years, but this has come at the expense of home-grown talent such as Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

It looks like Chalobah is the next name to be added to that list, and with each player that leaves, fans may feel more and more disconnected from the club.

Maresca clearly has enough problems off the pitch as it is, but the focus will soon turn to his team’s performances on the pitch.

Chelsea finished sixth in the Premier League last season, but managed to deceive for a long time, leading to Mauricio Pochettino leaving the club at the end of the season.

Maresca is keen to prove he can make an immediate impact, but Chelsea’s schedule in the US is far from straightforward.

They have to play five games in five different cities over the next two weeks, collecting 13,000 air miles from London.

It all begins in the early hours of Thursday morning (UK time) when they take on Wrexham in California.

They then head to Notre Dame, Indiana, to take on Celtic, before heading to Atlanta to face Club America.

The tour concludes with games against Manchester City in Columbus, Ohio, and Real Madrid in Charlotte, North Carolina.

At the end of the arduous journey, Maresca should have a good idea of ​​where his team stands ahead of their Premier League opener against City on August 18.

But there’s so much more to being Chelsea manager than just what happens on the pitch, and Maresca quickly discovered that.

Can he unite the dressing room amid the racism storm surrounding Fernandez? Will more players from his own academy be shown the exit?

These are the challenges Marecsa must overcome if he is to get Chelsea back on track after a tumultuous start to pre-season.