Chelsea have landed a coach dubbed ‘Diet Pep’ in some circles, but who is heralded by the players he has coached as the real deal.
Enzo Maresca worked under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and now wants to turn that apprenticeship into Premier League mastery in London.
If that sounds familiar, then it should, because Mikel Arteta has done exactly that, progressing from Guardiola’s assistant at City to become one of the pre-eminent top-flight bosses with Arsenal.
Chelsea’s owners see in Maresca some of the same qualities and formative experiences that can shape the 44-year-old into an elite coach.
But do not just take the word on the footballing grapevine as proof positive of Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali and Jose Feliciano’s full conviction in Maresca as their man.
Listen, too, to former Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks, who has worked under Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, but rates Maresca as the No1.
“He’s by far the best manager I’ve worked for,” said Winks, who helped Maresca’s Leicester win the Championship this season.
“He’s incredible. Everyone will say he’s going right to the top in terms of managerial stature. He’s got everything. He’s a great man-manager, he’s tactically incredible and how he views the match is something I’ve never experienced before in football.”
Maresca won the 2002 Serie A title with Juventus and two UEFA Cups with Sevilla as a player, but he was by no means destined for the top.
Two years at West Brom to kickstart his senior career were never part of the script, when he would share lifts to training with one Graham Potter.
Maresca’s senior footballing initiation in England toughened up an already focused individual. He is characterised by those who know him well as a coach determined to become the sum of his experiences. Having been a teenager from Italy landing in the Midlands, he has never forgotten what he needed to handle that culture shock.
Maresca is regarded as an ideal fit for the Chelsea board as they seek a new direction following the exit of Pochettino. He is tactically flexible and capable of in-game solutions. His possession-based approach is what Chelsea are looking for, and his preferred formation of 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 is seen to suit the Blues squad.
Maresca has just one full season as a head coach, but Chelsea believe he has the charisma and temperament to manage a club of its size.
If Maresca can look after his players astutely and sensitively then, he is also respected for his ability to manage upwards.
Chelsea’s owners have spent the first two years of their Stamford Bridge tenure building an entirely new leadership structure. The head coach must fit a specific niche within that setup, and Pochettino’s departure last week was understood to revolve around tensions on the limits of his influence.
Chelsea have hired two co-sporting directors, a recruitment and talent team for a reason. These are the chief lieutenants of the Boehly-Clearlake era.
Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart proposed Maresca as their premier choice for the job, firstly because of his current abilities and upward trajectory, but secondly due to his readiness to work within that structure.
Maresca, who is very hands-on at training, will be asked to focus on coaching and improving players.
“He’s by far the best manager I’ve worked for... incredible. He’s got everything.”
From the moment he arrived at Manchester City in 2020, Maresca wanted to soak up every possible learning experience.
This is the kind of attitude the ultra-intense Guardiola yearns for from his staff.
Guardiola knows full well City’s success and structure will help create future elite coaches, who will in all likelihood flourish elsewhere.
The City manager effectively craves for this to happen. Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool departure had Guardiola all but in tears, lamenting the loss of his great Premier League rival.
Guardiola immediately installed Arsenal’s Arteta, his great friend and former City assistant manager, as his new Klopp, or rather, his new arch Premier League rival. Chelsea see no reason why Maresca cannot follow that lead.
