Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has a huge fan in Jamie Carragher following his side’s victory over Tottenham Hotspur last Saturday.
Chelsea beat their London rivals 1-0 thanks to a Joao Pedro goal, which was set up by Moises Caicedo.
Since then, Caicedo has received a lot of praise from teammates and pundits. His overall performance was outstanding.
However, Carragher was also impressed with Maresca and some of the tactics that he saw from the Chelsea manager during the game.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher giving thumbs up
Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images
Jamie Carragher impressed with Enzo Maresca’s in-game rotation at Chelsea
What caught Carragher’s attention in Saturday’s London derby is how Chelsea players were rotating positions mid-game.
In at least one phase of play, right-back Malo Gusto was the furthest player forward, while Pedro had practically dropped into a defensive midfield position.
For Carragher, it is a tactic that makes Maresca an elite coach and puts him up there with Pep Guardiola, Arne Slot and Mikel Arteta.
Analysing Chelsea’s win against Tottenham on Sky Sports, Carragher said: “When you talk about rotations, this is what the managers at the top level can really do. Pep Guardiola, Arne Slot, Mikel Arteta, Maresca. They can coach the rotations and the movements.”
While the Blues were able to beat Thomas Frank’s side, they have only moved up to seventh in the Premier League table and are still behind their London rivals.
However, Chelsea will still finish in the top four, according to another former England defender, Gary Neville.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca carries the Conference League and Club World Cup trophies on the pitch at Stamford Bridge.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Enzo Maresca easily one of the best managers in the Premier League
In his first season at Chelsea, Maresca was able to guide the team to Champions League qualification and the Club World Cup and Conference League trophies.
Prior to that, he also led Leicester City to Premier League promotion, which helped the Italian earn a move to Chelsea.
Maresca is a modern-day coach, desiring his team to dominate possession, press high and attack in numbers.
Those tactics, as well as his in-game rotation, are working at Stamford Bridge. There is no doubt that Maresca is now one of the best managers in the Premier League and probably the world.