Maresca has not been dealt an easy hand at Chelsea

Chelsea may sit second in the Premier League table and top the Conference League, but Enzo Maresca has not been dealt an easy hand.

First, he had to deal with accusations of racism around his £107m midfielder Enzo Fernandez as the club's new boss was unveiled in the United States this summer.

Then, once Fernandez's situation was resolved, the narrative shifted to Chelsea being a "chaotic" club after a "bizarre" transfer window, as highlighted in comments made by Sky Sports pundits Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville.

Those remarks were reflected in much of the coverage as the Blues ended the summer window with a exiled group of around 13 players - nicknamed the 'bomb squad' - training away from the main first-team squad.

Maresca was defensive on this issue but took the club's side as they ruthlessly discarded their remaining fringe players after the transfer window closed.

A few players, like Ben Chilwell, remain stuck at Stamford Bridge until the transfer window reopens in January.

But, from Chelsea's point of view, Maresca toed the club line, sheltered his core 25-man squad from the noise and built results in a bubble at the training ground.

That performance environment has given the Blues the ability to build a seven-match winning run.

After the victory over Brentford, Mykhailo Mudryk's failed drugs test leaked from reports in Ukraine.

Questions on Mudryk understandably dominated the pre-match news conference before Shamrock Rovers on Thursday - a dead-rubber match for Chelsea in the Conference League given they have already qualified in the top eight.

This time around, Maresca handled the questions in an open and professional manner. An exemplary show of how to navigate difficult questions as head coach of a big club.

There remain questions about the situation at large but the Italian showed his ability to manage a club of Chelsea's size, having faced doubts upon joining from Championship team Leicester in the summer.

Yes, Maresca may have looked ruthless with players like Chilwell, and there has been criticism that he played down the Fernandez scandal a little bit too much, but he is navigating the noise enough to not impact the performance on the pitch.