Reports have stated Chelsea contacted Jurgen Klopp about becoming their new manager after he left Liverpool, and it is hard to argue he wouldn’t of delivered more than Enzo Maresca managed.
Klopp left Anfield at the end of the 2023/24 season, at the same time when Mauricio Pochettino departed Stamford Bridge.
The Blues had a reported four-man shortlist for the job, with Maresca coming out on top. The Italian would go on to win the Conference League and Club World Cup before leaving on New Year’s Day.
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There was a period where everyone but Maresca and the Chelsea players were considering themselves in a genuine Premier League title race.
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Chelsea would have won the league if they hired Jurgen Klopp over Enzo Maresca
The Blues had the chance to temporarily go top on December 22 before they were held to a draw by Everton. After this, they won just one of their next six league games.
It was clear that a lack of experience amongst the players played a factor, but not having a manager who has been there and seen it clearly played a part.
Klopp is a Premier League champion, and led his Liverpool side to multiple title challenges against arguably the best Manchester City side ever seen.
Despite taking over the Reds in a particularly bad time in their recent history, he lost just 47 Premier League games, ending with a points-per-game of 2.11. In comparison, Maresca ended his Chelsea career with just 1.74 points-per-game.
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Chelsea needed ‘mentality monster’ Klopp
The German coined the term ‘mentality monster’ (These Football Terms) for how his sides’ relentless pursuits of greatness would often end up with successful results.
Games such as the 2-0 defeat away to Ipswich, the 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa and the 3-0 loss against Brighton, all coming in quick succession, were a case of the atmosphere getting on top of the Blues.
Having someone with the experience and mentality of Klopp would have been crucial for these moments, which are still occurring this season too.
The way the Blues struggled to deal with the atmosphere at Elland Road late in 2025 are the kind of games that will cost Chelsea throughout a season, and occurred far too often during Maresca’s time in charge.
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