Enzo Maresca is all but confirmed as the next Chelsea manager, coming from behind in the race against Kieran McKenna and Robert De Zerbi to win the job.
According to the Evening Standard, he actually did it by “impressing Chelsea in a raft of areas” (duh), specifically with his tactical setup (possession-first 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 with an inverted full back) and crucially by “detailing plans on how to help Enzo Fernández flourish”.
Before we get further, let’s stick to “Maresca” for the head coach and “Enzo” for the player.
There’s been some great performances, some memorable actions and flashes of brilliance, but nothing so far that would clearly justify the investment.
In that context, it’s certainly fitting that Enzo’s Maresca’s plan to unlock Enzo was (one of) the key factors in his (impending) appointment.
Enzo Maresca is all but confirmed as the next Chelsea manager, coming from behind in the race against Kieran McKenna and Robert De Zerbi to win the job.
How did he do it? Did he get a half-time talk from Billy Blood The Masseur? Not quite. According to the Evening Standard, he actually did it by “impressing Chelsea in a raft of areas” (duh), specifically with his tactical setup (possession-first 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 with an inverted full back) and crucially by “detailing plans on how to help Enzo Fernández flourish”.
Before we get further, let’s stick to “Maresca” for the head coach and “Enzo” for the player.
So, Enzo, the player, has now completed 18 months as our record signing, but I think it’s fair to say that he has not quite managed to live up to expectations. There’s been some great performances, some memorable actions and flashes of brilliance, but nothing so far that would clearly justify the investment. Mostly, it’s been ... okay ... with many left wondering what all the fuss was about.
Adding Moisés Caicedo to the mix to nearly double our investment and have the midfield set for the next decade seemed like the perfect move last summer, but that seemingly brilliant idea on paper hasn’t translated into on-pitch reality. One might even argue that Mauricio Pochettino’s greatest failing was his inability to make that combination work as well as it “should” (or as well as our sporting directors clearly believe it should).
In that context, it’s certainly fitting that Enzo’s Maresca’s plan to unlock Enzo was (one of) the key factors in his (impending) appointment.
That still doesn’t really justify a five-year contract (with or without any “prudent break clauses”, whatever those may entail), but I’m sure Maresca has a plan for doing the job to the best of his ability. It would be weird if he didn’t.
