Enzo Maresca Thread

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6 hours ago, Pizy said:

I have no real love for Maresca at all, believe me. I won’t shed a tear if he ends up going. I’m just worried that we’d replace him with someone who’s even more unproven and even more of a puppet.

Any Maresca replacement has to be an established, top quality manager who instantly commands respect from the players. None of this super young and “learning on the job” stuff.

They wont be...

[TheHulk 2,596]

18 minutes ago, mkh said:

💣There is a lot of tension behind the scenes at Chelsea.

Jorge Mendes, Enzo Maresca’s agent has a good relationship with the sporting director at Man City.

(@SkySports)

City can have him with both arms, yes we could get an even worse one with these cowboys but Maresca is nothing but a middle on the road coach and will never be a top coach, wouldn't lose any sleep if he goes to City even likelier that City will be done as a dominant force with him.

[OneMoSalah 8,967]

11 hours ago, calculatingInfinity said:

That would be a disaster. But I wouldn't be surprised if the idiots running the club, would be more than happy to let him go, especially after he started moaning about them.

Would it be a disaster? Really? Maresca replacing Pep at City? Do people think he’s really gonna be able to live up to & improve upon what Pep’s done there? And is he really that good a coach/manager? 

Regardless, I don’t think City would actually appoint him if I am honest. There is definitely something off between him & our board/ownership group on top of the fact Pep has been linked with walking away from City at the end of the season for the second or third time in successive seasons. 

If he does go there, can we give them Tosin as well for free? Won’t see many folk too upset if Maresca leaves here for City either. He is an insufferable fucker at the best of times. He would probably end up playing Haaland on the left wing and Rodri upfront. 

[Strike 7,620]

1 hour ago, MoroccanBlue said:

How is it if we fail A,B & C it’s only the directors fault? 

Only the directors fault we can’t beat Qarabag or Atalanta? Only the directors fault if we finish below Villa, Newcastle and United? 

I want the directors gone before anything else, but Maresca is a bang average manager. No way would City appoint him if Txiki was still there. This will be the downfall of their dynasty. 

 

Pretty much the director's fault with this idea of a young squad to maximize profit. 

Maresca was asking for a LCB in place of Colwill for example and there were players like Hincapie in the market. 

Quite clear why City like him - He has a good reputation in doing the nerdy stuff - watching hours of footage, preparing teams for opponents, has an idea of how he'd like to play. 

[Vesper 30,592]

David Ornstein is now hearing something he’s never heard before amid Enzo Maresca’s Man City links

https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/news/david-ornstein-is-now-hearing-something-hes-never-heard-before-amid-enzo-marescas-man-city-links/

As the speculation around Enzo Maresca’s future at Chelsea continues, David Ornstein has made an interesting claim about what’s coming out of Man City.

The media circus is in full swing at Chelsea following the bombshell exclusive from Ornstein claiming Maresca is being looked at to replace Pep Guardiola at City.

It comes after a turbulent week that called into question the relationship between the head coach and the decision-makers in Chelsea’s boardroom.

Ahead of Saturday’s trip to Newcastle, Maresca shut down the City rumours and reaffirmed his commitment to a future at Stamford Bridge.

But with no possibility of developments until the summer, anyway, any other response would have been a shock. And now, another Ornstein reveal adds further doubt to the Italian’s future.

David Ornstein very confident about one thing happening at Man City

Naturally, the links between Maresca and City only came about because of the situation with one of the Premier League’s great managers.

Guardiola has been at the Etihad for nine seasons, dominating the division over that span and cementing City as a perennial contender for titles.

Uncertainty around his future has been a recurring theme in recent seasons, but Ornstein hasn’t quite seen it get this serious.

As he told The Athletic: ““I’ve been aware of Manchester City having some interest in Maresca for some time, so it’s not fresh, but you check with as many people as you can, trusted sources on the veracity of that and of course the Guardiola element to this story as well, because if he is continuing until 2027, then it’s largely a moot point.

“And despite us having been in this position before with Guardiola and people thinking he was going to go last time — by the way, let’s be clear on that, this is not entirely new as a notion — but I personally have never had it so resounding from so many people that it’s going to be the end of this season. And they are well placed.”

Ornstein is as reliable a source as you’ll find, though everyone can be wrong.

If his ‘well-placed’ information is correct, Maresca’s personal ties to the Etihad could become a problem for Chelsea.

Plenty of time for change in Maresca’s thoughts

The Chelsea boss is a straight talker, but even the most honest of managers won’t be completely upfront when it comes to discussions behind the scenes. Chelsea have yet to comment on the Maresca links, either.

You would hope he really does intend on staying at Stamford Bridge, but there’s a long way to go until summer.

If more clashes with the ownership occur, or if Chelsea’s form takes a dive in the second half of the season, his opinion might well change.

It’s a story to monitor as we approach the summer, and one that Chelsea will need to keep a close eye on themselves. One thing this story has done is shift the power dynamic of the relationship more in Maresca’s favour.

[NikkiCFC 8,473]

8 hours ago, Strike said:

Quite clear why City like him - He has a good reputation in doing the nerdy stuff - watching hours of footage, preparing teams for opponents, has an idea of how he'd like to play. 

 

[Strike 7,620]

21 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

 

They have better players across key positions CB and ST. 

[Vesper 30,592]

9 minutes ago, Strike said:

They have better players across key positions CB and ST. 

and GKer

[Vesper 30,592]

How similar is Enzo Maresca’s football to Pep Guardiola’s?

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6897163/2025/12/19/maresca-guardiola-tactical-comparison/

Being compared with Pep Guardiola is nothing new for Enzo Maresca.

The 45-year-old’s managerial career at Parma, Leicester City and Chelsea has seen him repeatedly swat away suggestions that he is a diluted version of his friend and former colleague, but now those comparisons will go into another stratosphere.

The Italian is high among candidates Manchester City are considering in case Pep Guardiola exits next summer, as The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported on Thursday.

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Some City fans might initially scoff at Maresca’s credentials to step into the shoes of their club’s greatest-ever manager — one of the most influential tactical minds of all-time. However, strip away any bias and consider the checklist that City’s director of football, Hugo Viana, will want to tick off if and when he looks for Guardiola’s replacement.

A coach whose style aligns with the one that brought them the most success at the club? Check. A coach who has experience of the rigours of the Premier League? Check. A coach who has worked alongside Guardiola himself? Check.

You can even tick the immeasurable “understands the club” box, with Maresca having won the Premier League 2 title as manager of City’s elite development squad in 2020-21, before becoming Guardiola’s assistant manager during the 2022-23 season — the year that City won a historic treble.

Maresca had a good managerial grounding at Man City before taking the Chelsea jobAdrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images

Guardiola’s tendency to praise opposition managers can occasionally appear facetious, but his recent comments on Maresca were as big a ringing endorsement to a successor as you are likely to get.

“One of the best managers in the world, Enzo Maresca, I know him quite well, but the job he has done at Chelsea does not get enough credit,” Guardiola said earlier this month.

“Winning the Club World Cup, Conference League, and qualification for the Champions League in a league that is so tough with a young team. It is exceptional.”

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There are justified arguments that Maresca deserves more praise for the job he has done at Chelsea since arriving in the summer of 2024. In attack, only Liverpool and Manchester City have a better expected goals (xG) rate than Chelsea’s 1.8 per 90 since the start of last season. Defensively, there is almost nothing between Chelsea’s 1.3 xG conceded per 90 compared with City’s 1.2 per 90 in that time.

As Guardiola has acknowledged, posting those numbers with the youngest average squad age — weighted by minutes played — in each of the last two seasons shows elite coaching must have been a key part of Chelsea’s success.

The phrase “Diet Pep” or “Pep Lite” has been previously used as a criticism of Maresca’s style, but in the context of the latest news, it must surely be seen as an encouraging comparison for City fans.

Tactically, those comparisons have plenty of substance. Guardiola and Maresca are meticulous in their approach to building a coherent possession-based system, and have achieved success from positional principles — or juego de posicion — that see their players occupy certain zones of the pitch to break down an opponent’s structure.

One core similarity is the carefully constructed build-up the two share, which will often see a full-back come inside to form a 3-2-5 shape with a situational double pivot when working the ball through the thirds. This can be seen in Chelsea’s recent home game against Everton, with right-back Malo Gusto joining Reece James in midfield.

Maresca has frequently switched which full-back inverts, but it requires players who are highly technical or, as Maresca refers to them, those who can “play in the traffic”.

While this build-up approach helps to create numerical advantages in the centre of the pitch to progress upfield, it is worth remembering that such a setup is ultimately defensive.

“One of the reasons why we bring the full back inside is to avoid transitions and to defend better in the moment that we lose the ball,” Maresca told The Coaches’ Voice in 2023.

A strong rest defence, for those who enjoy the technical term.

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Guardiola has become more unpredictable in his build-up shape this season, but the core ideas are still comparable. Looking at City’s latest Champions League game with Real Madrid, the 3-2 build-up shape is found in different ways — either by a midfielder dropping in (Phil Foden) or via a supporting full-back (Nico O’Reilly).

The principles are designed to be fluid and versatile for both managers, but zoom out and examine the wider structure of Chelsea and Manchester City’s most common starting formation last season, and the patterns across the pitch pop out.

Control in the centre, networks in wide areas, and a territorial dominance that squeezes the opposition into their own defensive third. The similarity is compelling.

Qualitatively, Guardiola has changed City’s shape this season with more rotations between traditional wide full-backs and narrow wingers coming inside. Here, the idea is to flood the centre of the pitch and make space in wide areas, but the fundamental principles are largely unchanged.

It is those same uncompromising principles in Maresca that will be attractive to City’s key decision-makers. His reciprocal admiration of Guardiola is unwavering, with the Catalan underpinning the way that he looks at the game.

“I decided to be a manager because of Pep’s team, Barcelona, years ago,” Maresca said in a press conference last month.

“Now, if clubs or teams decide (to play) with different styles, I’ve said many times that any club, any team can decide in the way they want to play. I chose mine years ago, and this will be the way I like to watch my team play football, and also in the future.”

There is room for flexibility within it, but a patient, considered style is ultimately still at the heart of what both managers want to achieve. As shown below, no team this season has more passes per sequence or a slower progression upfield (direct speed) than Chelsea and Manchester City.

Tempo is a keyword that both are proud to be associated with. A team that can control the rhythm and speed of the game is often the dominant side of the two, and Maresca’s desire to replicate Guardiola is further borne out in the numbers.

Since Maresca arrived, Chelsea have arguably looked better when they picked up the tempo and attacked directly with runners ahead of the ball. Still, the graphic below highlights just how keen Maresca was to stamp his authority over his new side last season, reducing the share of sequences played at a fast tempo compared with the previous two campaigns at Stamford Bridge.

Notably, it brought that possession style closer to Guardiola’s once more.

With the Premier League seeing a renaissance of direct, vertical play, Guardiola’s principles have been questioned more than ever in recent months. City have embraced the chaos a little more this season, crafting new structures that focus more on verticality than ever before.

With that in mind, does Maresca have the same willingness and tactical nous to adapt?

The Italian has certainly experimented with his players in his 18 months at Chelsea, regularly playing James as a midfielder and frequently asking right-back Gusto to occupy No 10 roles during attacking phases, but there have been system tweaks alongside this.

During the summer’s victorious Club World Cup campaign, a shift from 4-2-3-1 to a 4-2-2-2 against Flamengo ended in defeat, but Maresca was open in highlighting his experimentation. A move to 4-3-3 against Fluminense was also effective in and out of possession to set up the final against Paris Saint-Germain, where Maresca also won the tactical battle against Luis Enrique.

“Pep is not a manager that is always doing the same; he is always changing, and with us it will be exactly the same,” Maresca said shortly after joining Chelsea.

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Having more players in the central channel of the pitch has allowed Guardiola to slowly arrest a key vulnerability that plagued City in defensive transition last season. Having more bodies close to the ball in possession gives you less ground to cover when you are out of possession, but Maresca’s defensive approach has rarely had compactness at its core.

As shown in their recent Champions League clash with Atalanta, Chelsea will often press high in a man-to-man fashion, with the central striker split between the goalkeeper and the centre-back. Note centre-back Benoit Badiashile’s high positioning to vacate his spot from Chelsea’s defensive line.

The same approach can also be seen against Arsenal, but note how this can fall back into more hybrid pressing — where certain players stay man-for-man while others stay in a zonal structure.

In the example below, Marc Cucurella jumps inside to track Bukayo Saka, while Pedro Neto follows Jurrien Timber to cover the left flank.

This was a blueprint laid out in Chelsea’s Club World Cup victory over PSG, with a fluidity to their defensive structure that was the perfect antidote to their rotational attack. When it works, it works well, but it is an approach that can leave Maresca’s side open defensively if the timing is off. Instilling a similar out-of-possession structure at City will be a challenge worth looking out for.

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Guardiola’s potential departure from City draws parallels with Jurgen Klopp’s exit from Liverpool. The club’s recruitment team were required to find a head coach whose principles would build on the existing rather than rip up the playbook and start from scratch. In finding Arne Slot, the transition was seamless enough to lead Liverpool to the title in his maiden season.

For City, there are few head coaches with a stylistic fit that is more closely analogous to that of their current manager. Vincent Kompany, Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso have all worked under or alongside Guardiola, with little surprise that they are now leading three of Europe’s most elite sides.

While he is still learning on the job, Maresca falls into that same category of coaches.

By Mark Carey

Football Writer

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Chelsea are calm about Enzo Maresca’s situation amid City interest – they must move on from the drama

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6901681/2025/12/19/enzo-maresca-Chelsea-man-city-interest/

Chelsea have to put the drama surrounding head coach Enzo Maresca over the past week behind them as quickly as possible.

That is certainly the intention, but it might be easier said than done now that there has been another twist added to the plot. The exclusive story broken by The Athletic’s David Ornstein on Thursday about Maresca being on a wishlist of targets at Manchester City — amid a growing impression that this is Pep Guardiola’s last season in charge at Etihad Stadium — means Maresca and the club are under even more scrutiny.

There was already a lot of intrigue over Maresca’s situation at Stamford Bridge following the rather self-inflicted wounds he caused by that post-match press conference after the 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday. As The Athletic explained, the Italian’s complaint that he had experienced the worst 48 hours of his time at Stamford Bridge due to a lack of support for him and his team came as a surprise to people at the club. The Athletic has spoken to several sources in the construction of this article, who all spoke under the condition of anonymity to protect relationships. One of those sources said there had been no falling-out or disagreement leading up to Maresca’s outburst.

Granted, he remained vague over who he was referring to, yet the theory that there are problems behind the scenes did not dissipate with Maresca’s unconvincing answers and behaviour in the press conferences either side of the Carabao Cup win over Cardiff City in midweek.

Eyes will be even more on him for every game and media interview, starting with Chelsea’s very difficult Premier League game against Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Saturday. They have lost at that ground on their last four visits.

Understandably, everyone wants to know how Chelsea have reacted to Maresca being potentially targeted by Manchester City at the end of the season. Sources insist there is a sense of calm and business as usual. Basically, the plan has not changed. The desire is to focus on getting good results and performances for the rest of the season so Chelsea can finish in the top four of the Premier League and do well in the three cup competitions (Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup). The intention to hold a review into everything at Chelsea, including Maresca, at the end of his second season in charge — so around late May or early June — remains.

Chelsea are accustomed to clubs wanting their players and staff, whether it is something genuine or just speculation. For example, they were aware of reports in Italy two months ago that Juventus were interested in Maresca following the sacking of Igor Tudor. The club reacted the same then as they are now, by just getting on with things as normal.

The club are in a strong position anyway. Firstly, because of their policy on contracts. Just like the majority of the players, Maresca was given a long-term deal on joining from Leicester City. His agreement runs until 2029, with an option in place for Chelsea to extend it by another 12 months. It will not be easy for anyone to prise him away.

Secondly, Chelsea have aimed to build a structure where they are not reliant on just one person. This even applies to the playing side. Sources point to the fact that Chelsea are still on track in terms of achieving their targets for the campaign despite being without their best defender, Levi Colwill, since the start of the season, after a knee injury. Their most gifted player, Cole Palmer, has made just seven appearances so far due to injury.

Sources say that Chelsea have been happy with the job Maresca has been doing and backed him during bad runs of form last season and this, committing to the two-year review plan. They also say they have done their due diligence and looked into compiling a list of potential successors for Maresca, but stress it is what every club tries to do over their staff and players.

Maresca acknowledging the away end at CardiffDan Istitene/Getty Images

This should not be read into too much, given the recent events. It is standard practice and was already in place before Maresca’s outburst last weekend. No professional organisation wants to start from scratch in the event someone leaves, whatever the reason for that is. You simply have to prepare for all possibilities.

Chelsea sources say communication between Maresca and the hierarchy has continued and that the working relationship remains unchanged.

Understandably, it is going to be a lot harder for those on the outside to believe that, given the extent of Maresca’s original comments and the manner in which they can be perceived.

Even if Maresca comes out now to say he is happy at Chelsea and 100 per cent committed to them — the former midfielder has already said words to this effect earlier in the week — the seed has been planted by him that it might not be the case. Chelsea must avoid the commotion caused by that, as well as the potential threat of City’s interest, from having a destabilising impact on their season.

Everyone should bear in mind that this is the first time Maresca has managed a club into a second year. Before that, he had coached at Parma for just 14 matches and had one full campaign at Leicester City. He deserves some benefit of the doubt that he did not expect to cause such a stir — the way he acknowledged the away support at Cardiff and pumped his fist against the Chelsea badge on his jacket sent a more positive message.

The best medicine to nip this all in the bud, certainly until the review takes place, is simple. Maintain a consistent run of good results, and the inquisition from the outside will be negated somewhat. Well, for the time being at least.

By Simon Johnson

Chelsea Correspondent

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Enzo Maresca says he will ‘absolutely’ be at Chelsea next season

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6902477/2025/12/19/enzo-maresca-Chelsea-future/

Enzo Maresca has promised Chelsea fans he will be at the club next season and says there is still a lot he wants to achieve at Stamford Bridge.

The Athletic revealed on Thursday that Maresca is high among the candidates Manchester City are considering in case Pep Guardiola exits the club next summer.

Maresca’s Chelsea future was already under scrutiny when, following the 2-0 win against Everton on Saturday, he said that the previous 48 hours had been the worst of his tenure.

Chelsea fans showed their backing for him by chanting his name at the team’s Carabao Cup win at Cardiff City in midweek.

When asked during Friday’s press conference if he can guarantee he will be at Chelsea next season, Maresca replied: “Yes, absolutely. I have a contract until 2029 (the club has the option to extend until 2030).

“It (Manchester City interest) doesn’t affect me at all because that is 100 per cent speculation. And in this moment, there is no time for these kinds of things.

“My focus is just about this club and I’m very proud to be here. But again, it’s speculation. One week ago, I was (linked with a job) in Italy with Juventus. So I don’t pay attention because I know that it’s not true. If we continue to talk about that, that means that I’m paying attention to that.

“Now, it’s important to understand the reason why this news was there. But it’s not my job, I don’t care at all. I think the players, they are focused on a Newcastle game (tomorrow) that is a very important game and very difficult.”

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Maresca has made a positive impact since being appointed Chelsea head coach in June 2024. Last season, the club finished fourth in the Premier League, and won the Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup.

Chelsea go to Newcastle United on Saturday sitting in fourth, as well as being in the Carabao Cup semi-finals and should at least secure a Champions League play-off place from the league phase. Their FA Cup campaign begins with a third-round tie at Charlton Athletic next month.

Pressed on whether he feels there is still a lot more he wants to achieve as Chelsea head coach, he said: “Absolutely, yes. Again, the other day, we achieved the third semi-final in 18 months. Last year, again, I think was good also in terms of trophies, finishing fourth in the Premier League, bringing this club, playing in the Champions League. And now the target is to try to improve what we did last season.”

Chelsea, meanwhile, have been boosted by the news that striker Liam Delap is on course to return from a shoulder injury sooner than expected. The forward suffered damage to the AC joint against Bournemouth earlier this month but could make his return against Aston Villa on December 27, just three weeks after suffering the blow. Winger Estevao Willian is also set to be back for that match, having missed Cardiff with a minor muscular problem.

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Did Maresca convince when addressing his Chelsea future?

This was a much more forthright response from Maresca to all the noise that has been around his position over the past week.

Maresca has cast quite a tense and sombre character in front of the media over the last few days, but the Italian did a much better job of trying to change the narrative this morning.

Walking in smiling and answering some initial light-hearted questions about his Christmas plans, Maresca repeated on more than one occasion that he is contracted to the club until at least 2029 and dismissed talk over his future as “speculation”.

Any supporters concerned about losing Maresca to a domestic rival might be a bit more reassured by his promise to still be in charge in 2026-27.

It will help quieten the noise surrounding him for now. As The Athletic reported earlier on Friday, everyone at the club wants to focus on what matters most — the team getting results and performances in all four competitions for the remainder of the season.

Chelsea always wanted to review everything about the club at the end of Maresca’s second season in charge and that remains the case.

But in light of his Everton outburst, which came after Chelsea’s first win in five matches, Maresca will inevitably have more tough questions to answer the next time his team have a bad patch of form.

By Simon Johnson

Chelsea Correspondent

[NikkiCFC 8,473]

2 hours ago, Strike said:

They have better players across key positions CB and ST. 

And last season we finished just 2 points behind them. Right now we are not that far behind. So isn't logical conclusion that Maresca is better or same level as Pep but only quality of players makes the difference? Although CWC title has more value than these 8 points Pep won over Maresca since Enzo is here.