The Blues come into tonight’s game against Southampton following a difficult run of results, particularly away from Stamford Bridge.

Yet Maresca does not want his team to play differently because of that form. He believes the process remains the correct one and that it's just a matter of time until things begin to go our way again.

‘I don’t have any doubt about the idea,’ he said. ‘Now I’m even more sure than when we started.

‘The problem is that, in general, people judge the idea because of the results. If I asked two months ago whether you were happy with the idea when we were winning every game and we were second, probably everyone would say yes.

‘Now we have dropped points and are seventh, people have doubts about the idea. Now I feel even stronger about the idea, it’s just a matter of results. Hopefully, we can soon win games.’

Maresca also stressed that he evaluates the situation on a regular basis and identifies areas where he can help his squad develop within the framework of his broader footballing philosophy.

‘I try to reassess every game, not just when we drop points. I try to improve every day, change things every day, try to help the players to improve.

‘When the players improve, that means the team improves. It’s just a matter of adding solutions and trying to be better and better.’