The Blues haven’t had a great season since their 2020-21 Champions League winning campaign. They have been a big mess ever since the ownership changed back in 2022. Since then Chelsea spent billions on the transfer market and changed their manager three times.
Mauricio Pochettino was the Blues manager last season. He left the club on mutual consent at the end of the season, after managing Chelsea for almost 11 months. Chelsea replaced him with Enzo Maresca earlier this summer. The Italian signed a 5-year deal at the Stamford Bridge after his successful first season as a professional manager.
The 44-year-old guided the Foxes to the Championship title last season. As a result they were promoted to the Premier League after a year long absence. Clubs around the world got Maresca’s attention after his heroics with the Foxes. After a upsetting start against Man City in the opening matchday, Maresca’s side have recovered well since then. He still lacks experience in the top level football but his intent is very clear. The Italian has previously worked under Pep at City, so he very well knows how to manage things.
Fofana comments on Maresca’s style
Blues defender Wesley Fofana has opened up on the life under Maresca. Fofana missed most of the last season due to his ACL injury. But he has started all the league games under the Italian until now. The Frenchman seems very moved by the engagement of Maresca. Fofana claimed on Chelsea’s website,
“We have a lot of meetings and watch a lot of videos to see the plan. We started in the pre-season. First training session of the season he told the team what he wants and it is good.“
The type of football Maresca wants from his team isn’t very complex. As Fofana further mentioned,
“The style is good for the players and we have it. It’s offensive football and it’s very good. When you want to win titles and want to win every weekend, you focus on the little details. This is the difference between a good team and a big team. He explains every day in training that the little are very important.“
We can see Maresca’s active involvement in the training sessions through the video clips. The enjoyment of the players are very visible in those sessions. Maresca seems switched on very tactically and puts his trust on the players.
Sancho and Nukunku’s recent performances are a good examples of that. That is the reason why players in the camp backs him and are already affectionate to him. He is even defending Mudryk as the Ukrainian is receiving criticism by the fans and pundits. It will be a very great watch to see the Chelsea players and Maresca grow together and put Chelsea back in the big stages again.
What’s ahead of the Italian
After an away win against Bournemouth last weekend, Chelsea again stood victorious in the London derby against West Ham United yesterday. A brace from Jackson along with a goal from Palmer helped the Blues over a comfortable 3-0 win. Sancho also got a assist in his debut appearance as a starter in the Blues shirt.
As things stand, Chelsea is currently in the 4th place at the league table with 10 points in 5 games (3 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss). If Maresca’s side continue their recent form then not only they can stay in the top 4 but also can fight for the title. However, they have to very consistent for that.
Up next, Chelsea will be facing Barrow in the Carabao cup this Wednesday. After that they will play against Brighton at the Bridge, who are still unbeaten in the league. They will also be having a busy schedule in October as their Conference League journey starts from 4th October against Belgian side Gent. Fans are already backing Maresca’s system and believes he can win them titles again.
A trusted source on ChelseaNews.comFor more football updates, make sure to follow us on:
