Chelsea appoint Enzo Maresca as new manager: Decoding his stats
Chelsea have appointed Enzo Maresca as their new head coach. Maresca, who replaced Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge, has signed a five-year contract. The contract is valid until June 2029 and includes an option to extend until June 2030. As per Fabrizio Romano, the Blues also played a compensation fee to Leicester City to avail Maresca's services. Here we decode the manager's stats.
Why does this story matter?
Maresca left Leicester after leading them back to the Premier League by winning the Championship title. The length of contract reflects the fact that the management and the manager wants long-term stability and success. However, going by Chelsea's tryst with managers, it remains to be seen how things pan out. Maresca's ploy to focus on possession and positional play made him the leading candidate.
Chelsea parted ways with Mauricio Pochettino
Pochettino left Chelsea by mutual consent after just one season. Pochettino needed time to mould the young team. He had a reasonable campaign given injuries and lack of experienced figures. Chelsea lost the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool and were beaten in the semis of the FA Cup. Notably, despite an underwhelming Premier League campaign, the Blues ended the season strongly and finished sixth.
Third manager sacked under the new ownership
With the new ownership staking claim in 2022, Thomas Tuchel was sacked in September that year. The move came despite backing the manager in breaking the record of transfer fees in a single window. In April 2023, Tuchel's replacement Graham Potter was sacked. Potter was emoved after less than seven months in charge following inconsistent results. Frank Lampard (interim manager) saw out the season.
Leicester City gained promotion in first attempt after relegation
Maresca guided Leicester to the 2023-24 Championship title after the club had been relegated from the Premier League. The Italian took over the job in June 2023 and enjoyed a successful one-season reign. Leicester finished a point above fellow promoted side Ipswich Town. The Foxes claimed 97 points from 46 matches (W31 D4 L11). They scored 89 goals and conceded 41.
Maresca clocked 67.92% win percentage at Leicester
Maresca managed in 53 matches at Leicester in all competitions. He helped the club win 36 matches in addition to drawing four and losing 13. Leicester scored 103 goals and conceded 50. He enjoyed a 67.92 win percentage.
Maresca was at Parma before joining Leicester
Before managing Leicester, Maresca was at Parma. He joined the Serie B outfit in May 2021 and was sacked in November. He managed 14 matches (W4 D5 L5). He clocked a win percentage of 28.57.
Accolades as a manager
Maresca was at Manchester City and helped their U23 team win Premier League 2 title in 2020-21. In June 2022, he returned to Manchester City as one of Pep Guardiola's assistant managers. Notably, City won a historic Treble in 2022-23. In his only season at Leicester, he won the league title. He also bagged four Championship Manager of the Month awards.
Maresca was a winner as a player
Maresca, who was a versatile midfielder, won the Serie A and Supercoppa Italiana with Juventus. He enjoyed a lot of success with Spanish side Sevilla. He won the Copa del Rey, Supercopa de Espana, two UEFA Cups and one UEFA Super Cup.
Why Chelsea went for Maresca?
Chelsea ran out of patience despite Pochettino doing an able job in his first season. The Argentine was also not happy with certain circumstances in the background. With Marseca, Chelsea hope to get back among Europe's elite by playing Champions League football. They also like his style of play which is similar to Guardiola. Moreover, Marseca's tactical acumen and relentless demands can help Chelsea.
