Maresca told Chelsea supporters the club is heading in the right direction compared to the previous two seasons.

But the identity that Maresca’s trying to instill — seemingly at the behest of his superiors — is an identity that is very hard to readily engage with as a fan. And when results are not there in the end to justify the means, there’s little reason to expect that engagement to increase (at least not in a positive way).

Chelsea are moving in the right direction and developing a playing style that will help them in the long run, coach Enzo Maresca said on Wednesday in an impassioned defence of his players who were jeered over the weekend.