Enzo Maresca's dazzling Chelsea start: the struggle, the success and why this feels so real

Chelsea are having their best start to a season since the collapse of the Roman Abramovich empire. The team have been yearning for consistent form ever since the Russian oligarch was forced to sell the club to new owners.

Since 2022, under the new ownership, Chelsea have seen multiple managers: Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Frank Lampard, Mauricio Pochettino, and now Enzo Maresca.

None of the coaches hired before the relatively unheralded Italian were able to inspire confidence through performance and results. But now, for the first time in three seasons, Chelsea are confidently sitting in the top four, playing good football, and scoring goals for fun.

When the 44-year-old Maresca was hired to replace the experienced Mauricio Pochettino, the reception from fans and the football media wasn’t particularly positive, as it was his first job in top-flight football. People rightly questioned why a struggling giant would employ a coach with no Premier League experience to lead such a rapid rebuilding process.

Enzo Maresca’s only other prior experience as a head coach was with Parma, where he was sacked in November 2021, just four months into the Serie B season. What earned him the Chelsea job was his success in guiding Leicester City back to the Premier League after just one season in the English second tier.

Many didn’t expect him to make bold decisions, such as freezing out under-performing senior players. As a young coach with no top-flight experience and no major trophies to his name, he took the bold step of dropping star players like Raheem Sterling and Champions League-winning left-back Ben Chilwell. This major decision signalled that he was ready to prioritise results over egos in the squad.

Another win for Maresca has been his tactical flexibility. Known for his emphasis on possession-based football, having worked under Pep Guardiola, Maresca initially tried to implement this style during pre-season. When it didn’t produce the desired results, he adapted to a more direct attacking approach. The current squad has more runners than ball-retention midfielders, and Maresca wisely decided to play to the strengths of his players, rather than forcing his preferred system on them.

The former Leicester City manager has managed the team so well that new signings, who didn’t even have a pre-season with the club, hit the ground running as soon as they joined.

Though it’s still early days, Enzo Maresca has earned his plaudits. Six games into the Premier League season, he has won four, and drawn one, with his only loss coming against defending champions Manchester City. His team has scored 15 goals, the highest in the league. With just two points separating them from league leaders Liverpool, Chelsea fans have every reason to dream again. After two difficult seasons, their club is back among the top teams in English football.