Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca looks on during the Premier League match against Southampton. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
It’s clear that Chelsea are a different beast this season under Enzo Maresca, and Jadon Sancho has said it’s the Italian’s hard line which is making all the difference.
Another win in the Europa Conference League, this time after an eight-hour flight to Astana, saw the Blues continue their 100 percent record in the competition.
It follows on from great Premier League form which has seen them rise to second, above Arsenal and only behind Liverpool.
Jadon Sancho has lauded Enzo Maresca’s impact
Stan Collymore was one pundit to suggest that Maresca is doing a better job in West London than Mikel Arteta is doing with the Gunners, though the Blues did miss out on a “special talent” to their London rivals.
One player who has benefited from the Italian’s man-management is Sancho.
?? Jadon Sancho tells Sky: “Maresca is a very good coach! My first talk with him I got a good feeling. When I entered the room I felt his aura…”.
“He’s very hard on you if you don’t do the right stuff. I feel like every player is buying into how he works”. pic.twitter.com/FojibJYPRG
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 13, 2024
“Maresca is a very good coach! My first talk with him I got a good feeling. When I entered the room I felt his aura,” he said to Sky, quoted by Fabrizio Romano on X.
“He’s very hard on you if you don’t do the right stuff. I feel like every player is buying into how he works.”
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Much has been written about the rift that developed between Sancho and his manager at Man United, Erik ten Hag, though it’s clear from his tone that the player doesn’t mind a bit of strong discipline.
If anything it puts that situation in a completely different light now. Perhaps the Dutchman just didn’t have the ‘aura’ that Maresca clearly does have, and Sancho reacted to that.
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In any event, it’s obvious that the player has recovered his love for the game at Stamford Bridge, and the Blues are getting the best out of him at present.
As long as Maresca keeps him in check, there’s no reason why that particular status quo should change.