What Chelsea fans can expect from Enzo Maresca

Cameron Smith

Updated: 28 May 2024 09:44 CDT
6 min read

Enzo Maresca, Chelsea, Leicester, 2023/24 — © IMAGO

Chelsea are edging closer to appointing a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino and Leicester City’s Enzo Maresca appears to be the most likely candidate as things stand.

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Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna is no longer being considered as an option, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, while Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Ruben Amorim is not in talks with Chelsea due to his lack of experience in English football.

Roberto De Zerbi and Thomas Frank remain contenders for the vacant job at Stamford Bridge, but reports suggest that Maresca could be appointed as Chelsea’s next manager.

The Blues reportedly want a young and progressive manager who can compete with Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta at the top of the Premier League title.

Given Maresca was Guardiola’s assistant at Man City, just like Arteta, Chelsea evidently believe he has what it takes to lead them back to the very top of English football.

He helped Man City win the Premier League 2 title in 2021, with a certain Cole Palmer at his disposal, before a failed six-month spell as Parma head coach.

What can Chelsea expect from Enzo Maresca?

Maresca returned to Man City as Guardiola’s assistant in 2022 and was then appointed as Leicester boss last summer.

The Foxes were favourites for the Championship title following their relegation from the Premier League and Maresca didn’t disappoint as he guided Leicester to top spot.

A late-season blip saw them almost fumble promotion, however, as they lost seven of their final 14 league matches.

Maresca was heavily criticised for this poor end to the campaign, with Leicester fans angered by his possession-based football, which was perceived as ‘boring’ by a large chunk of supporters.

Having been moulded by Guardiola, it’s no surprise the Italian favours a possession-heavy system with a large emphasis on keeping the ball; only Southampton averaged a higher possession percentage in the Championship than Leicester last season (65.6% to 62.2%).

Under Pochettino, Chelsea were largely a transition-focused side, utilising a free attacking structure that allowed the likes of Palmer, Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson to express themselves on the pitch.

That won’t be completely eradicated under Maresca, but Chelsea’s attackers will be required to play with less freedom and more structure, similar to Arsenal and Man City.

It’s this style of play that led Leicester fans to call Maresca’s football ‘boring’ and Chelsea should expect a similar system if the Italian arrives at Stamford Bridge.

His favoured approach lends itself well to an elite Premier League club, rather than one fighting relegation, and Maresca will likely continue to utilise a back-three system in possession, with one full-back shifting into a centre-back role and the other moving into midfield.

Leicester won 27 of the 32 league games in which they scored first last season, but their ability to fight back after going behind was far less impressive. The Foxes conceded first on 14 occasions and they lost nine of those matches.

Despite having the best squad in the league, Maresca was unable to turn games around, something that wasn’t a problem for Ipswich’s McKenna - with the Tractor Boys only losing four of the 18 matches in which they conceded first.

All in all, Chelsea fans should expect possession-heavy football that often relies upon scoring first to secure results. Attacking freedom may be somewhat limited, with Maresca prioritising substance over style.

How Chelsea will line up under Enzo Maresca

Djordje Petrovic usurped Robert Sanchez as Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper last season and the Serbian would likely remain in between the sticks under Maresca.

Reece James and Marc Cucurella are both capable of playing as a third centre-back or in midfield when the Blues have possession and this versatility could be extremely useful for Maresca. They will immediately be his preferred full-back pairing as a result.

© IMAGO - Reece James would be key under Enzo Maresca

Trevoh Chalobah looks as though he may be sold this summer, meaning Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana, if he can stay fit, would be Maresca’s favoured centre-back duo.

At Leicester, Maresca’s midfield contained a deep-lying playmaker (Harry Winks) alongside two box-to-box number eights (Wilfred Ndidi and Kieran Dewsbury-Hall).

Ndidi was pushed into a more advanced role than his usual defensive midfield position and Maresca could do the same with Moises Caicedo, while Romeo Lavia would slot nicely into the Winks role.

Conor Gallagher and Carney Chukwuemeka would both suit playing Dewsbury-Hall’s role, but the former is set to be sold this summer, while the latter has struggled with injuries over the past year.

As a result, Enzo Fernandez is the most likely candidate to complete Chelsea’s midfield under Maresca.

Palmer will play as the right winger, while Christopher Nkunku would be deployed off the left and Jackson through the middle.