Enzo Maresca is set to be the new Chelsea manager.
The Italian is set to take charge at Stamford Bridge ahead of the 2024/25 season, and many Chelsea fans might not know what to expect.
Indeed, this is Maresca’s first Premier League job, and many Blues supporters would be forgiven for not knowing what the Italian is all about.
Speaking on the London is Blue Podcast, Ben Jacobs has shared some insight into Maresca as a manager, sharing what Leicester City’s players have personally told him about their manager.
What Leicester players said about Enzo Maresca
Jacobs shared what he’d been told about the incoming Chelsea boss.
“This is not a manager who is just going to be a yes man. This is a manager who on day one at Leicester came in with a Cruyffian identity,” Jacobs said.
“On day one at Leicester he told the players ‘this is the identity, it’s rigid, you have to adapt.’ Everything changed.
“It was a culture shock for many players who weren’t used to the style. One of the main things stressed by the players I’ve spoken to at Leicester is that he’s not a manager who only thinks about when we’re on the ball we will do this or when they’re on the ball shut them down. He’s about the big picture and space away from the ball, you don’t press players, you press spaces. Like a game of chess, it’s three or four moves ahead.”
Maresca sounds exciting
Based on what Jacobs says here, Maresca sounds like a very exciting manager.
He’s a coach who is a thorough thinker, and as a Pep Guardiola disciple, that’s no surprise.
While his thinking may be unorthodox, it clearly works as Leicester won the Championship at a canter last season.
This could be an exciting new era for Chelsea