Enzo Maresca’s recent departure as manager from Stamford Bridge came as a surprise to no one, even though he won the Club World Cup last summer and his side finished fifth in the Premier League.
Josep Guardiola has described Enzo Maresca as an “incredible, incredible manager” and few are in a position to question the Manchester City manager’s coaching qualifications. If Pep thinks you’re a good person, that’s very important.
And if Maresca decides it’s time to return, there’s no doubt he has good job options to accept. But “incredible” still does a lot of the heavy lifting. Relatively speaking, and certainly compared to, say, Guardiola, Maresca’s managerial career at elite level is still in its formative stages. He has had a relatively good run at Chelsea, winning the Club World Cup and the European Conference League.
His winning percentage at Chelsea is just under 60, nothing to write home about. Antonio Conte, Maurizio Sarri and Thomas Tuchel were all good, but Mauricio Pochettino was bad. But it wasn’t dire.
However, his winning percentage in the Premier League was less than 50%, with 28 wins out of 57 matches. He is clearly average for a manager from a modern Premier League powerhouse.
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In other words, it seems a bit hasty to characterize Maresca as “unbelievable,” even if you keep him on the club’s staff for a while, as Pep did. That’s why it’s difficult to assess whether letting Maresca go is the right or wrong decision for the club. It is difficult to assess whether he is “incredible” or not.
But one thing is for sure: anyone who doesn’t have a particular emotional interest in Chelsea will just shrug their shoulders. This reaction is always true when a manager and a club you don’t support part ways.
But that’s not strictly true. Chelsea, for much of its history, has been a club that has held charm, fascination and appeal to football fans who support other clubs. Even in the days of Roman Abramovich, there was something alluring about this place. It was a fascinating project in which an obscenely wealthy oligarch (with a background shrouded in intrigue) bought the best for cash.
There are clubs that stir the emotions of ordinary fans, whether positive or negative. Chelsea was one such club. It is hopeless.
Club World Cup winners Chelsea, who are fifth in the Premier League midway through this season, have parted ways with their manager, who may have been in talks with other clubs about his future employment, it has emerged. This is a development that should elicit strong opinions from people other than investors.
But most people only see clubs currently run by owners, including key figures Todd Boley and Behada Egbali, who are more interested in picking teams than giving direction to great football.
Did Maresca have malicious intent? Was he acting impossibly awkward? Was he a manager who worked well in difficult situations? Would he have been successful at Stamford Bridge in the long term? Frankly, on all counts, very few people care.
Under this ownership, the club has turned into a club that shrugs its shoulders. It’s not a very common expression, but the club has become a club that is losing its identity.
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