Chelsea Select New Manager

Chelsea Settled on Enzo Maresca

© Provided by Metro

    There had been much speculation about who would be replacing Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea, but they have finally come to a decision. An agreement has been reached with Leicester City to sign Enzo Maresca for 10 million pounds. While he wasn’t on the top of any short list that I’ve read over the last week, Maresca might fit perfectly into the new Sporting Directors’ plan.

Who is Enzo Maresca?

    Enzo Maresca is a 44-year-old Italian former player with the likes of Juventus and Sevilla. After spending some time as an assistant coach under Pellegrini at West Ham, a failed stint as manager at Parma, and assistant coach under Pep Guardiola at Man City, Maresca just led Leicester city to a Championship title and promotion back into the Premier League. There are some who have voiced concern over his short stint at Serie B club, Parma, that resulted in being sacked after a dozen or so games, but the disciple of Guardiola has promise.

    Pep Guardiola holds Enzo Maresca in high regard, saying "he will be an extraordinary manager." Pep even went as far as comparing him to Mikel Arteta, which is exactly what the Blues said they were looking for. Enzo has a particular talent working with young developing talent. In 2020/21 season, Maresca led the Man City Elite Development Squad to a Ligue 2 title victory. Another advantage of hiring Enzo Maresca is his history working with Cole Palmer at Man City and Cesare Casadei during his loan spell at Leicester. Cole Palmer was a driving force of momentum last season, so having a manager who that he can get behind as a leader will help the others fall in line.  

Style of Play

    When the new broke out about Pochettino’s departure, the Chelsea owners stated that they were looking for someone who could compete against Guardiola and Arteta, which is exactly what they got. The strategy will continue to be a possession-passing play with the hope of pushing forward more aggressively. Maresca fits that style perfectly, favoring the 4-3-3 and utilizing the goalkeeper as a driving offensive force that pushes everyone forward. 

    That may not sound very exciting to fans who watched Chelsea allow 60 goals, but Leicester held the strongest defense under Maresca. With Colwill and Fofana returning to fitness, the defense will be more creative and quicker. Maresca likes to keep a holding strong holding midfielder to allow the two other midfielders to join the attack. It will be interesting to see who will hold that position.

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