Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has been named the Premier League Manager of the Month for November after his team went unbeaten. The Italian coach led the Blues to ten points out of twelve possible during the month, handling a tough schedule with ease.
Maresca’s team beat Tottenham Hotspur, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Burnley, scoring six goals without giving up any. The run ended with a tough 1-1 draw against Arsenal, who were in the running for the title, at Stamford Bridge. Maresca won the award over tough competition.
He beat out Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler, and Fulham’s Marco Silva.
Although November was a good month for them, things have changed at Stamford Bridge, and the team is off to a rough start in December. The draw against Arsenal started a four-match winless streak across all competitions, which is very different from the form that earned Maresca the award.
This recent dip includes a loss to Leeds United and a draw with Bournemouth, which has some fans feeling the unbeaten streak in November is a long way off.
Enzo Maresca talks about MOTM win
Maresca discussed the award on Friday and noted that individual awards are a sign of the team’s hard work. He also admitted that the team had not been playing well in the first week of December.
He said:
“This kind of thing is because you do the right things in terms of performance and results. For us, November was fantastic. December, we didn’t start in the way we would like, even if it’s just one week ago. So it’s just three games in a row in one week that we didn’t get results that we expect.”
This is the second time Maresca has won Manager of the Month since he took over at Chelsea. In terms of statistics, this achievement puts him on the same level as Thomas Tuchel and Claudio Ranieri, who both won awards while they were at the club.
He would tie Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte’s Chelsea totals if he won a third time. This would solidify his place as one of the club’s most successful managers in terms of monthly league recognition.