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It seems strange to think of a Chelsea without Enzo Maresca that was once battling with Crystal Palace, Wolves, and West Ham for 12th place in the Premier League. The 2024 team in the hunt for their first league title since 2016 seems like a whole different entity than the squad Graham Potter had the misfortune of managing.
Once upon a time, Chelsea were badly misfiring. They were toothless in attack, lacking a trusty target man up top, and they repeatedly fumbled seemingly guaranteed wins against bottom-three teams.
Ex-Leicester manager Enzo Maresca brought a cold, calculated approach to football to Stamford Bridge. In an era of Chelsea football dominated by mismanagement and aloofness, Maresca is the high-energy leader that Chelsea has needed.
Tactically, he’s a mix between De Zerbi and Magnus Carlsen — a possession-obsessed freak who values positional play and building numerical advantages through smart overlaps. Although he wasn’t the Kieran McKenna or the Thomas Frank Chelsea wanted after sacking Pochettino, Maresca has proven to be the perfect manager for Chelsea’s resurgence back into the top four.
Maresca inherited a team struggling for identity. His predecessors Potter and Mauricio Pochettino brought an aloof, unassuming figure to the touchline; Maresca has been an impassioned leader and hands-on when making substitutions.
Maresca has improved the Chelsea midfield drastically
We’ve seen his fingerprints on big wins like 6-2 away against Wolves, 4-2 home against Brighton, and 3-0 away against West Ham. Under Maresca, Chelsea plays a quick, possession-based style that emphasizes short connections in midfield. They’ve completed over 3,500 passes in just seven league matches, over Brighton and Manchester United.
Their keys to success have been dominating the midfield, often sending a fullback to join the midfield like Rico Lewis at Man City. Caicedo playing as a deep anchor, is capable against the press and has…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/maresca-quick-fix-chelseas-resurgence-in-record-time/
Author : Deolu Akingbade
Publish date : 2024-10-13 16:30:23
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