Filipe Luis, the Flamengo head coach and former Chelsea defender, has huge respect for Enzo Maresca.
Enzo Maresca, 45, is now into his second season as the Chelsea manager, where he’ll be hoping to build on last year’s success. After winning both the Club World Cup and Conference League last term, along with finishing fourth in the Premier League, the external pressure has risen.
Maresca, who’s told Juventus he’s not thinking of leaving Chelsea, is still under contract at Stamford Bridge until 2029.
In general, the Italian boss has proven he’s an intelligent coach, especially when it comes to tactical battles against top opponents. If there’s one glaring issue he needs to overcome, it’s helping the Blues to break down opposition sides that sit in with a back five.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca offering instructions during the Carabao Cup tie against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Filipe Luis warns opposition teams of playing Chelsea
Filipe Luis, 40, spent one year at Stamford Bridge as a Chelsea player between 2014 and 2015. At the moment, he’s the manager of Brazilian giants Flamengo.
Even though Flamengo beat Chelsea in the group stages of the summer’s Club World Cup tournament, Luis has huge admiration for the current team. He stated that opponents will be played off the park if they don’t prepare right to face a Maresca outfit.
Speaking on The Obi One podcast, Luis said: “I believe in Chelsea because of the way I see Maresca playing and his style. When he thinks about football, it’s really difficult to play against Chelsea. For every manager, if you’re going to play Chelsea, you have to prepare for this game really well; otherwise, you’re not going to touch the ball.”
Flamengo head coach Filipe Luis before his team's Club World Cup match against Chelsea.
Photo by Georgia Soares/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images
Enzo Maresca’s record at Chelsea
Matches Wins Draws Losses Trophies
78 49 11 18 2
As you can see above, Maresca’s record at Chelsea across all competitions is pretty strong. If anything, we would like to see less defeats because holding on for a draw is always better than conceding a sucker punch late on.
There is no doubt that the young Blues side took a significant step forwards in the 2024-25 season. Can Maresca follow that up to progress even further during this campaign?
Gary Neville doesn’t like Chelsea’s inconsistency in the opening months of this season, something which is hard to explain because they go from the spectacular to the shocking without much warning.
Let’s wait and see if they can win away at rivals Tottenham on Saturday.