Enzo Maresca has made a good start to life as Chelsea manager and in a recent interview explained why he had no doubt about taking the job.
The 44-year-old was named as Mauricio Pochettino’s successor this summer and signed a five year contract at Stamford Bridge after guiding Leicester to the Championship title last season.
Maresca will be under pressure to guide Chelsea back into the Champions League and bring silverware to west London after two difficult years both on and off the pitch.
Maresca on why he joined Chelsea
Chelsea have certainly taken a gamble by appointing the Italian, but so far everything has gone to plan and the Blues sit fourth with 14 points from a possible 21.
Maresca’s men are uneaten since the opening day of the season and he was recently named Premier League Manager of the Month for September.
The Italian has a very talented squad at his disposal, with Cole Palmer tipped as a future Ballon d’Or winner by sporting director Paul Winstanley.
The former Leicester boss has managed to implement his ideas quickly and whilst there’s still a lot of improvement for the Blues to make, there are already signs of a clear identity and patterns of play.
Maresca now faces a tough run of fixtures starting with Sunday’s trip to Anfield to take on early leaders Liverpool, and he recently opened up about why he took the Chelsea job.
“For sure, in the past, Chelsea had so many Italian managers, Gianluca Vialli, Di Mateo, Ranieri, Ancelotti, Sarri, so many Italian managers,” he told the Stadium Astro YouTube channel.
“But first of all, it’s because it’s Chelsea, and it’s one of the best clubs in the world. So, there was no doubt to join Chelsea.”
The bare minimum for Chelsea this season is to get back into the Champions League with a top four finish and their start suggests they are more than capable of doing so.
With Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester United and Arsenal as their next four Premier League games, that run will give a big indication to what the Blues are capable of this season.