Chelsea shocked the world when they announced that the club were parting ways with Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentinian had turned the table around and led the team to a fantastic finish to their Premier League season. However, the owners seemed to have a different plan for the club’s future and according to their statement it seemed to not align with that of Pochettino.
Just two days after announcing his exit, the team have intensified their search for a new manager with three names being shortlisted. According to sources, Thomas Frank, Kieran McKenna and Enzo Maresca are the three shortlisted names to be in the running for the Chelsea managerial position. Frank is currently coaching PL side Brentford, while McKenna and Maresca helped Ipswich and Leicester get promotion into the league just this season.
Chelsea are reportedly in the hunt for young managers who has a possession-based style of play. This certainly gives Enzo Maresca the added advantage as he transformed the Leicester team into a completely different side in the Championship. His possession-heavy football created a lot of problems in the second division and Leicester thrived under him, resulting in them winning the Championship and gaining promotion. Although that came with a lot of pressure from Ipswich, in just one season, he elevated the team and made them play some great football.
Is the Chelsea job a big step up for Enzo Maresca?
The Chelsea managerial position is a tough one for anyone who is given the role. They have now had five different managers under the new ownership, which indicates the struggles they have had over the past couple of seasons. Just when everyone thought Pochettino had found his way with the team, the owners decided to part ways with him, which has once again cancelled out all the progress they have made.
Enzo Maresca is coming into an extremely difficult environment. Granted that he led Leicester City to gain a promotion in just his first year as in charge. But the expectation at Chelsea is a lot more different than the other teams. The club have always competed for trophies, but in the last three years have failed to win one and the wait is making the fans even more anxious.
The Italian knows a thing or two about winning titles as he won the Premier League 2 trophy with Manchester City during his time there. He was also an assistant under Pep Guardiola for a season before Leicester City approached him to take over the head coaching position at the club.
Can Enzo Maresca win trophies with Chelsea?
Chelsea fans have shown their displeasure towards the situation the club are in all over social media. While Maresca and the two others on the list have done a phenomenal job, bringing them in to manage a club like Chelsea does not seem right. They are used to having polarising figures like Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel in charge. These names won trophies in their careers even before they came to Chelsea.
Maresca has helped Leicester win the Championship, but he has not won anything in top-flight football. This will make things very difficult for him as Chelsea will also be competing in Europe next season, thereby increasing the workload in his first season at top-flight football.
