Who is Enzo Maresca? The Leicester City boss is set to join Chelsea

Enzo Maresca is close to being named Chelsea’s next manager following Mauricio Pochettino’s departure at the end of the 2023-24 Premier League season.

The Italian has quickly emerged as Chelsea’s front-runner despite competition from Kieran McKenna and Roberto De Zerbi, and is set to become the Blues’ sixth different manager since 2022.

But who really is Maresca and how good is he?

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What team does Enzo Maresca lead?

Maresca is currently the manager of Leicester City.

What band does Enzo Maresca play in?

Maresca is a firm favorite of the 4-3-3 formation. However, his forms in possession and out of possession look dramatically different. His team often defends in a 4-4-2, while attacking in a 3-2-4-1 formation.

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How good is Enzo Maresca?

Maresca is regarded as one of the most promising young managers in world football and his experience as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City has undoubtedly helped his coaching journey.

The Italian is a stubborn stickler for a possession-based system and has even been criticized for lacking a ‘Plan B’. Maresca has a footballing philosophy and is not particularly willing to deviate from it, regardless of whether his team is struggling in a particular match.

However, he was able to implement his style of play immediately at Leicester – an extremely difficult feat to achieve – and saw the Foxes go 19 points clear at the top of the Championship table in February. They subsequently lost seven of their last 14 games and won the title by just one point, but Maresca was highly praised by those who worked under him.

In March, Harry Winks even admitted that Maresca was the best manager he had ever worked under in terms of his tactical acumen and managerial skills.

As for his preferred system, Maresca likes to build with a three-back formation in possession, with one full-back dropping inside to become the third central defender and the other moving into a double pivot in the middle the land.

It’s a tactic that has become very popular in the English game in recent years and Maresca believes it neutralizes the threat his side face when they lose possession.

The former Man City assistant favors a possession-heavy style and this system helped Leicester win the Championship title during Maresca’s first full season in senior management.

He may not be an experienced option, but Maresca is very talented and his style of play aligns perfectly with the way Chelsea owners want the Blues to operate.

What trophy did Enzo Maresca win?

Maresca won the Premier League 2 title with Man City U23 (2020–21) and the Championship title with Leicester (2023–24).

Who else has Enzo Maresca driven?

Before taking over at Leicester, Maresca coached Man City U23s while spending six months as manager at Parma.

The Italian was also assistant manager at Man City, West Ham, Sevilla and Ascoli.

How old is Enzo Maresca?

Maresca was born on February 10, 1980. At the time of writing, she is 44 years old.