Enzo Maresca has been handed the keys to Chelsea in the Blues' latest attempt to find the correct head coach.
The former Leicester boss has signed a five-year deal to become the fourth permanent manager since Chelsea were taken over in 2022, and one the club will hope can guide their project for the foreseeable future. The Italian coach has limited experience managing at the senior level after a short stint with Parma and a Championship-winning season with the Foxes - and time in charge of Manchester City's development team.
But Chelsea's sporting directors, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart believe the 44-year-old's 'ambitions and work ethic align with those of the club' as he enters the Stamford Bridge hotseat following the early exit of Mauricio Pochettino. Maresca is set to officially get to work on July 1 and will be keen to quickly implement his methods to take Chelsea to the top. Here, Mirror Football takes a look at what his blueprint could be.
1. Winning matters
Chelsea have been without a trophy since winning the Club World Cup in 2022 and have not finished among the Premier League's top four during Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital's time with the club. It has seen the caveat of the 'project' and 'patience' being touted by a side whose identity had previously almost entirely been concerned with winning.
Pochettino's first press conference in the job saw him focus on Chelsea's history but weeks into the season he was forced to acknowledge Chelsea's injuries and the youthful nature of his squad following an overhaul. It appears that even when development is the priority, Maresca's thoughts are largely on winning, however. Man City youth product Tommy Doyle explained the impact the coach had in finding Premier League 2 success. "I've been with the U23s for a few years and I've seen the different styles and coaches," he said.
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"It wasn't based on winning, it was about playing nice football, which is nice but you want to win. As soon as Enzo came in he said 'listen, we're going to win this league'. When a coach says that, you start to believe as players. "Sometimes when you want to win as a player and your coach is saying different things and not really focused on winning, you get off track. He came and said we want to win, it's easier said than done but when you tell yourself that you have a very good chance with the ability we have as players."
2. Immovable on style
While Maresca will have ambitions to take Chelsea to the top, it will come with a clear identifiable style of play. The Italian coach is confident in his methods and will be stubborn in maintaining his system.
That has often seen the criticism the Italian has no plan B and prompted frustration from some corners that Leicester were not more flexible on their way to the title. The Foxes dominated the bulk of their matches, but on occasion struggled to threaten the opposition area and saw significant time with ball being retained by the goalkeeper and defence.
Maresca has suggested his side won 15 points due to making alterations within the course of 90 minutes but ultimately he is prepared to live and die by the backbone of his footballing philosophy. "I arrive in this club to play with this idea," Maresca said in January amid criticism. "The moment there is some doubt about the idea, the day after I will leave. It's so clear. No doubts."
3. Strict on fitness
Chelsea saw a pre-season dominated by running last summer and there was an emphasis on ensuring players were able to cover plenty of ground on the pitch under Pochettino. However, there was a great deal of concern as the Premier League's youngest squad saw a plethora of injuries throughout the season.
Maresca's backroom team will include fitness coach Marcos Alvarez, and that could see changes beyond the training pitch. Alvarez arrives from Leicester with Maresca, but built his reputation with Juande Ramos at the likes of Sevilla and Tottenham. With the Lilywhites, Alvarez was notorious for banning sauce, fruit juice, cake and salt and pepper. With the Foxes last term, fried eggs were said to be off the breakfast menu.
While Pochettino's strength was in building a good relationship with players, such changes might offer a greater test to winning over some squad members. If improvement is seen on the pitch, it should not stand in Maresca's way however.
Leicester City's First Team Fitness Coach, Marcos Alvarez, is pictured during the Sky Bet Championship match between Leicester City and Millwall at the King Power Stadium in Leicester, England, on December 13, 2023. (Photo by James Holyoak | MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images) (Getty Images)4. Communication
Given the manner of Pochettino's departure, and the manner in which the club parted ways with Thomas Tuchel, it has been suggested that Maresca's arrival is, in part, because he is a yes-man. While the Italian is in a position where he is content to be fully focused on coaching and driving performance on the pitch, he has not previously shied away from conflict.
Even after a successful season, Maresca was not afraid to criticise what he perceived as issues in communication between the club hierarchy and himself. He said in May: “Nobody mentioned to me in January that we would not be able to bring in players. The same happened about the financial fair play. Nobody from the club mentioned to me when I signed that it could be a problem. I think it’s not the right thing to do. I think it will be a moment to sit and to understand why they didn’t mention it to me.
“I’m in charge of this club in terms of being the manager, I need things to work well. For me, there are things we need to clarify and we need to modify. I’m not asking for more control. I’m asking just to be able to do my job that I’m being paid for. No more than that. It’s just things that happen that I didn’t like during the season. You sit and you clarify.”
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That should serve as a warning to Chelsea's sporting directors and owners. As Leicester discovered too, Maresca is unafraid to find those who will match his ambitions, and thus open and collaborative communication could be essential if Chelsea do not want to be forced to part ways with another coach.
5. Best players on the pitch
Understandably, Maresca is keen to have the best players in his squad at his disposable. While it already seems some high profile stars are available for sale in the form of Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah, Maresca will be keen to control what he can in order to hit the ground running.
There was hope from Argentina that Enzo Fernandez could be made available for the Olympics this summer, and perhaps some expectation that Benoit Badiashile and Malo Gusto could join up with France. It appears this has already been blocked with Maresca reluctant to part with players for the start of the Premier League season.
Gusto will be seen as required with Reece James missing the opening Premier League matches due to suspension. Fernandez could be central to Maresca's system with the World Cup winner a potential link between defence and attack as Moises Caicedo becomes a box-to-box disruptor to replicate the roles of Harry Winks and Wilfried Ndidi at Leicester. That could prove the answer to unleashing Chelsea's £221million duo.
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