How Maresca has unearthed the REAL Sancho for Chelsea

Suraj Radia

8 Dec 2024 19:00 GMT
3 min read

Enzo Maresca, Jadon Sancho, Chelsea — © IMAGO

Chelsea pulled off a statement comeback win against Tottenham largely in part to a flawless display from Jadon Sancho, who appears to have recaptured his best form under Enzo Maresca.

Article continues under the video

Sancho provided the catalyst to get Chelsea back into the game after they had gone 2-0 down early on, cutting inside to produce a sublime finish into the bottom corner.

The 23-year-old was given a first Premier League start since October after coming off the bench to score against Southampton last week and he repaid Maresca’s faith with a standout performance.

STATS

Jadon Sancho

F (L), M (RL)

Chelsea

Jadon Sancho

F (L), M (RL)

Chelsea

11

Games
2

Goals
5

Assists

Sancho has now produced more goal contributions in 493 minutes for Chelsea than he had in his previous 17 Premier League appearances and the decision to sign him is proving inspired.

Having fallen out of favour at Manchester United, Sancho was loaned to Chelsea with the move likely to become permanent for €25 million next summer.

That fee could become a bargain for Chelsea if Sancho can continue his impactful performances and silence the critics that have followed him throughout his career.

© IMAGO - Jadon Sancho has been productive for Chelsea this season.

The secret behind Sancho's comeback story

Sancho began life at Chelsea with three assists in his first three games but he drew a blank in his following five appearances across all competitions, leading to Maresca dropping the forward.

The winger’s last start, which saw him hooked off at half time against Liverpool, yielded a month-long period without an appearance that made some people question whether Maresca had already lost faith with Sancho.

However, Maresca insisted that he was happy with Sancho’s contribution but simply believed that the ex-Dortmund star was more effective in certain tactical setups.

Current ETV

Jadon Sancho

F (L), M (RL)

Chelsea

Jadon Sancho

F (L), M (RL)

Chelsea

ETV Range

€29.5M - €49.1M

But Sancho has proven in his limited appearances that he is capable of breaking down a low-block while also causing havoc for Tottenham’s high line in his most recent display.

Statistically there doesn’t appear to be much difference between Sancho’s advanced stats during is time at Chelsea and his first season at United, where he produced just three goals and three assists in 29 appearances.

Yet Sancho is already one goal off matching that output in less than a third of the game time and the only difference appears to be a mental one, with the Englishman looking more engaged and confident than ever before.

Maresca’s ability to get the best out of Sancho has not come down to any tactical wizardry but rather man management and faith that the forward had not experienced during his time at Old Trafford.

Chelsea now look set to reap the dividends of gambling on a player at his worst in the hopes that he can carry them to the top as they close in on Premier League leaders Liverpool in an unlikely title challenge.