Chelsea appoint Enzo Maresca as new head coach
Fabrizio Romano has dropped Chelsea’s new head coach name, and it’s Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca. The Blues have finally appointed their next manager after parting ways with Mauricio Pochettino with mutual consent exactly a week ago.
The Blues will hand the Italian manager a five-year contract with an option to extend it until 2030. This comes after Chelsea made the decision to let Pochettino go, which came as a big surprise as the Argentine manager managed to lead the club to a sixth-place finish.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t enough to keep the 52-year-old for another season, and the club wanted to go into next season with a new manager. Now Maresca will have a massive job on his head as he takes charge of a young Chelsea squad.
However, his work has been cut short, as he will have a squad that has played in the Premier League and boasts enough experience to challenge for trophies. Chelsea will certainly make some signings in the summer to help the 44-year-old assemble a competitive squad.
But why did Chelsea decide to appoint Maresca?
The Blues board wanted a more possession-based football, which Pochettino couldn’t provide as his system involved more of a chaotic and vertical football, which didn’t suit the squad and saw us concede goals more often. Maresca has worked under Pep Guardiola, who is famous for playing possession-based football.
Maresca has implemented a similar style that saw his side earn promotion to the Premier League in his first season as their coach. He has also had experience developing young players, as we have seen with Cole Palmer, Cesare Casadei, and Romeo Lavia. However, he will have enough time to see which player fits into his system during pre-season.
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Similar to Pochettino, Maresca’s every decision will be scrutinised by the supporters, and since the Argentine had a whole season to win over the supporters, the Italian coach will be under continual pressure to provide the desired outcome. Chelsea’s board decision to appoint Maresca will only be known how the club plays next season.
