At a club often defined by its revolving door, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s insight into Enzo Maresca suggests that Chelsea didn’t just lose a coach, they lost a master tactician.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s arrival at Chelsea in the summer of 2024 was all because of Enzo Maresca. Reunited after their title-winning success at Leicester City, Dewsbury-Hall struggled for minutes, but still secured a Conference League title in 2025.
He then made a permanent £25 million move to Everton in August 2025, which has seen him announce himself in the Premier League.
Despite leaving, he still has a lot of love for Chelsea and looks back fondly on his time alongside Maresca, after Dewsbury-Hall previously hit out at his former club.
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Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall praises Enzo Maresca
Speaking on Sky Sports for the Manchester United against Brentford game, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall reflected on playing under Enzo Maresca.
“Relentless. He plays football like it’s chess. If you ever speak to him, he’s a massive Chelsea fan. I like Chelsea myself, so I can resonate with him on that.
“But, it’s so tactical, methods to everything, there’s combinations, you have to be in the right position. And I got so used to that, I got so used to understanding exactly where to be on the pitch. I knew there would be people there, there and there.
“And I really enjoyed it, because I feel like I’m a technical player, and some players might like that, but some players might like a bit more freedom. But, it got me in positions to score goals, it got me in positions to record assists, and everybody knows in this day and age, you are judged on that more.”
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Further proof Chelsea made a mistake with Enzo Maresca
Chelsea’s decision to let Enzo Maresca go on New Year’s Day is looking like their biggest blunder yet.
While the club has struggled with inconsistent results and a lack of identity under subsequent managers like Liam Rosenior, Maresca has proven his worth. His chess-match approach to football brought a level of structure and predictability that the current squad desperately misses.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s experience proves that Maresca’s methods actually worked; they put players in the right spots to rack up the goals and assists that saw him succeed.
Now, with Maresca widely tipped to take the Manchester City job and succeed Pep Guardiola, the mistake is even clearer. Chelsea gave up on a world-class system, now handing a tactical genius to their biggest rivals.
They traded a long-term vision for short-term panic, and they are now paying the price while the rest of the league watches Maresca prepare for the top.
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