2 weeks ago
Now nan concealed is retired it is imaginable to look astatine Enzo Maresca’s incendiary remarks astir his “worst 48 hours” astatine Chelsea done a different lens. Change is coming astatine Manchester City, who are preparing for Pep Guardiola’s departure astatine nan extremity of nan season, and it does not require overmuch reference betwixt nan lines to activity retired their determination to walk nan crown to Maresca was made a agelong clip ago.
There ne'er was a clear mentation from nan Italian aft he sat successful beforehand of nan media aft Chelsea’s unspectacular 2-0 win complete Everton connected 13 December and amazed nan room by taking nan bonzer measurement of going to warfare pinch his employers. “Since I joined nan club, nan past 48 hours person been nan worst because galore group didn’t support us,” he said. “People didn’t support maine and nan team.”
Which people? Maresca ne'er said and Chelsea were perplexed. The business deteriorated complete nan adjacent fortnight and it was difficult not to consciousness Maresca was behaving for illustration a man who wanted to beryllium sacked. Chelsea, though, refused to propulsion nan trigger. It was only erstwhile Maresca went into nan manager’s agency astatine Stamford Bridge after a 2-2 tie pinch Bournemouth connected 30 December and told his bosses he did not want to behaviour his post-match duties that it became clear location was nary putting nan ghost backmost successful nan bottle.
Sources acquainted pinch that section opportunity that was nan infinitesimal Maresca successful effect handed successful his resignation. He was gone 2 days later, nan nine connection landing early connected New Year’s Day. Chelsea, unsurprisingly, person not moved connected from Maresca informing them he had doubly spoken to City while nether contract.
This was not a fond farewell. Maresca walked distant without his severance, pinch 3 and a half years connected his deal. Sources adjacent to nan erstwhile Leicester head person acknowledged Chelsea are entitled to request a sizeable compensation package for City to get his services.
There were claims of Maresca clashing pinch Chelsea’s aesculapian section complete really overmuch definite players could beryllium utilized and suggestions nan 45-year-old was dissatisfied pinch nan club’s project. But those talks pinch City person relevance. The heir to nan throne was hiding successful plain sight. Maresca was apical of City’s shortlist and it seems improbable nan 2 parties sat down to talk nan particulars of a three-year woody only aft news of Guardiola stepping down astatine nan extremity of nan play collapsed connected Monday night.
Chelsea consciousness Maresca’s departure wrecked their season. Maresca tin astir apt return nan barbs, though. He is astir to onshore a apical job. Replacing Guardiola is simply a thankless task, 1 comparable pinch taking complete from Sir Alex Ferguson, Jürgen Klopp aliases Arsène Wenger, but Maresca has worked wrong nan City instrumentality and will judge nan domiciled is made for his accomplishment set.
Guardiola has backed his erstwhile assistant. City cognize what they are getting from Maresca, portion of their backroom unit erstwhile they won nan treble successful 2023. He favours positional play, uses inverted full-backs, sees nan transportation arsenic a chessboard and has moreover been nicknamed Diet Pep.
While Maresca is undoubtedly a value tactician, his activity astatine Chelsea and Leicester does time off room for debate. There were times erstwhile Leicester supporters grumbled astir Maresca’s football, moreover though he led them to the Championship title successful 2024, and concerns that his style of play was excessively dogmatic were ne'er acold from nan aboveground astatine Chelsea.
The erstwhile Sevilla midfielder, who played for Carlo Ancelotti astatine Juventus, moved to Stamford Bridge aft Mauricio Pochettino’s departure in May 2024. Chelsea wanted to play pinch much power and Maresca’s first play was a qualified success. They squeezed into nan Champions League and beat Real Betis successful nan Conference League final.
The crowning infinitesimal came erstwhile Maresca bamboozled Paris Saint-Germain successful nan Club World Cup last past summer. It was a good accomplishment and showed his expertise to travel up pinch clever plans for one-off games. Winning nan Premier League, though, requires greater consistency and Chelsea had a prolonged dip during his first play and sometimes struggled to break down debased blocks.
It would beryllium pushing it to opportunity nan location crowd loved his style of play. There was chuntering erstwhile Enzo Fernández passed backwards during a 1-0 triumph complete Leicester successful March 2025. Maresca, though, was unmoved. “Enzo knows if he doesn’t play back, I will alteration him,” he said. “If nan goalkeeper plays long, I will alteration him.”
That stance led to tension. Maresca even blamed supporters erstwhile Chelsea panicked and went agelong earlier conceding a extremity during a 2-2 tie pinch Ipswich. Intriguingly, though, he adapted against PSG. He caught nan European champions retired by telling his goalkeeper, Robert Sánchez, to nonstop agelong balls complete their left-back, Nuno Mendes.
Flexibility is important. Guardiola has played pinch little power this season. He has nan directness of Antoine Semenyo and Jérémy Doku connected nan wings and nan improvisation of Rayan Cherki successful nan middle. In Gianluigi Donnarumma, he has signed a goalkeeper whose wondrous shot-stopping much than makes up for his deficiency of accomplishment pinch nan shot astatine his feet. Maresca will surely play to Donnarumma’s strengths and not unit nan Italian retired of his comfortableness zone.
Chelsea felt Maresca sometimes overthought games and put excessively overmuch unit connected himself. He often appeared acold successful nationalist and was not peculiarly unfastened pinch nan media, though it is worthy noting players thin to emotion him. He was adjacent pinch Chelsea’s Spanish contingent and had a enslaved pinch Jack Grealish during his first spell astatine City.
Perhaps nan cardinal for Maresca is that he will person entree to amended players. He did not person a apical striker astatine Chelsea, but astatine City will beryllium capable to trust connected Erling Haaland. The tests and tribulations of those 48 hours must consciousness worthwhile now.
