Enzo Maresca is managing to succeed at Chelsea where the likes of Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino and Frank Lampard – in his second spell at the club as caretaker – all failed dismally.
After taking Leicester City to the Premier League whilst playing an attractive brand of football, there were question marks as to whether the Italian could do something similar at Stamford Bridge, despite never having managed a top-flight team.
A lot seems to have been made of the way in which Chelsea approach each transfer window, and the kid in a sweet shop analogy would appear to have been trotted out more than once.
Indeed, it’s understood that Chelsea are impressed with Joao Pedro who Liverpool are apparently running the rule over too, so it may well be that Enzo Maresca has even more cause to rotate in the second half of the 24/25 campaign. Chelsea could be adding more in January to their roster.
But all in all, the Chelsea squad is in great nick, with many players blossoming under the ex-Leicester boss. This includes one man who looked down and out at Stamford Bridge not but a year ago.
Marc Cucurella has become a leader on the pitch for Enzo Maresca
Marc Cucurella is one Chelsea ace who has gone from zero to hero under the current management at the West London giants.
The Guardian noted back in May that; ‘Cucurella was a joke, a flop, maybe even a hate figure. Fans winced if they saw him in the starting XI.’
‘They saw a defender who couldn’t defend. They saw little evidence of the full-back who had given Brighton so much in possession. They were disappointed when Manchester United decided not to sign Cucurella on loan last summer.’
Marc Cucurella of Chelsea reacts after the team's victory during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Brentford FC at Stamford Bridge on...
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Stephen Warnock, during The Football Show (Sky Sports News, December 16 at 10.41 am), was quick to praise the Spaniard for his overall improvement this season.
“Marc Cucurella enjoyed being written off,” the former professional player turned pundit suggested. “[…] He is now a leader under Enzo Maresca.”
No ceiling to Chelsea’s ambition under Enzo Maresca
Jadon Sancho’s recent comments on Cucurella would appear to add weight to Warnock’s assessment of the 26-year-old who, injuries permitting, could be a vital piece of the Chelsea jigsaw in the second half of the season.
In any event, the Italian has done what his former incumbents of the Chelsea hot-seat couldn’t thanks to a very direct style of man-management. He’s upfront with his players and Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell are just two Blues aces that could attest to that.
The confidence that Maresca appears to display in terms of the seriousness with which he takes his role seems to be having a marked effect on the rest of his playing staff too.
The Stamford Bridge outfit are the form team in the English top-flight, having lost just one of their last 10 league games going all the way back to early October.
That’s title-winning form in anyone’s book and if the 44-year-old can harness the excellence that his squad have shown thus far, there’s no ceiling to what Chelsea can achieve this season.
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