Enzo Maresca, the newly appointed Chelsea coach, is determined to instigate a shift in team culture and inject more aggression into the squad to reverse the fortunes of last season's under-achievers in the Premier League.
Chelsea struggled in the mid-table for a significant portion of the previous campaign before a late surge under former manager Mauricio Pochettino secured a sixth-place finish and qualification for the Europa Conference League.
Maresca, aged 44, notably led Leicester City to promotion to the English top flight in his debut season as head coach.
During his inaugural news conference, Maresca expressed his intentions, stating, 'For me, it's clear we need to create as soon as possible the right mentality and culture, a culture the fans can be proud of. We are going to try to be an aggressive team on the ball and off the ball and we need to create this connection between the fans and the club, especially at home.'
Maresca becomes Chelsea's seventh Italian manager, aspiring to follow in the footsteps of compatriots Carlo Ancelotti, Antonio Conte, and Roberto Di Matteo, who collectively secured six major trophies during their tenures at the London club.
Reflecting on the historical ties between Chelsea and Italian managers, Maresca remarked, 'I'm very proud to be an Italian manager here again. Probably there is something between Chelsea as a club, as a family, and Italian people that works well.'
Maresca's first league challenge at the helm of Chelsea will be against reigning champions Manchester City, a team he previously served as an assistant to Pep Guardiola during their treble-winning season.
