Soon to be appointed Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca already has plans in place to make one player the ‘focal point’ of his new side.
It’s now been widely reported that Maresca is set to leave Leicester City for Stamford Bridge, where he’ll face the biggest challenge of his career to date.
Despite his glowing reputation, Maresca has never managed in the top flight previously, having been sacked from his only other post with Parma in the Serie B.
Of course, the comments Maresca made when reflecting on the experience do now seem very interesting, even if he’s come a long way since then.
And although some Chelsea fans may still feel slightly disillusioned about the costly decision to swap Mauricio Pochettino for the Leicester boss, the club’s hierarchy seem much more satisfied.
Maresca is envisioned as more of a ‘head coach’ at Chelsea, whereas Pochettino’s penchant to be involved in all decisions eventually led to his position becoming untenable.
Of course, it would be wrong to suggest that Maresca has been brought in because he’s a ‘yes man’, he arrives with a strong footballing pedigree.
And via The Times, the manager already has some exciting plans in place.
Enzo Maresca plans to make Cole Palmer the ‘focal point’ of his 4-3-3 next season
Having worked with Cole Palmer at Manchester City in the past, Maresca is said to have already earmarked a key role for the £40m-midfielder.
Palmer will be a ‘focal point’ of Maresca’s 4-3-3 according to the report mentioned, something that was also the case under Pochettino.
Perhaps where Maresca will differ most significantly is how he intends to use Chelsea’s full-backs.
Leicester City’s Ricardo Pereira and James Justin often inverted into midfield whilst the side were attacking, a ploy we now often see in the Premier League.
Perhaps this will be good news for Chelsea’s defenders, the likes of Ben Chilwell and Reece James.
The pair are likely to still be the starting combo when fully fit, even if Marc Cucurella and Malo Gusto have shown significant improvement.
But all four of the names mentioned could thrive in an inverted role – a change that may really suit James in particular.
Despite his credentials out wide, perhaps a new role could help ignite a fresh start for the Chelsea captain – who’s been devilishly unfortunate with injuries.
All that being said, Chelsea have now been showing interest in signing ‘the best wing-back in South America’.