Chelsea: What’s the top of Enzo Maresca’s tray as he leaves Leicester to replace Mauricio Pochettino? | Football news

Enzo Maresca joined Chelsea after a season at Leicester which ended in promotion to the Premier League; Aged 44, he replaced Mauricio Pochettino, who left Stamford Bridge by mutual consent after 12 months in charge; Maresca also worked under Pep Guardiola at Man City

Many will point to Chelsea’s last six unbeaten games of the season as showing significant signs of life. Just as their rivals began to fall away – Tottenham have lost five of their last eight games – the Blues finally started to click.

Things were not perfect. A 5-0 thrashing at Arsenal in mid-April confirmed this, but there were small signs of progress, enough to forgive some of Mauricio Pochettino’s mistakes in the hope of better times to come.

But just 48 hours after Chelsea beat Bournemouth on the final day to finish sixth, restoring European football and a modicum of pride to west London, Pochettino was gone.

The split was reported to be amicable, maintaining a level of respect and mutual respect – very Gwyneth Paltrow. When the actress broke up with Coldplay singer Chris Martin in 2014, she called it “conscious uncoupling” — and it had all the same hallmarks.

But the idea of ​​a happy divorce exists much less in reality than in Hollywood.

Problems between Pochettino and the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge had been bubbling under the surface for months and tensions were stronger than they appeared on the surface. While the separation may have been mutually agreed upon, it was rooted in a fundamental misalignment of values.

Pochettino had his own methods and they did not fit within a set-up imposed by the club, one which insisted on the use of a specialist playmaker and a midfield pairing of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez – two of the under-performers in series of Chelsea. for much of the season.

A year on, the club are looking to back a ‘project’ manager, the kind where patience and perseverance are required – some might argue that Pochettino was, for all intents and purposes, just that.

However, the man in the recently vacated hot seat is now Enzo Maresca, an ambitious young manager built in the mold of Pep Guardiola – albeit with no Premier League (or any top league) experience as a head coach.

After taking the bold, if slightly unpleasant, decision to stop Pochettino, Chelsea are primed for a comeback and what better group to pluck than Guardiola’s new graduating class. Clearly, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal rebuild has not gone unnoticed.

Maresca becomes the sixth manager, including a brief stint with Bruno Saltor, who will be named in the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital era. And so the cycle begins again. The question is, why should Maresca’s unproven selection be any different than those that came before him?

Sky Sports looks at the key areas of focus for the incoming Italian…

Top transfer targets – and a goalkeeper

Head coach in the sack, Chelsea’s focus now turns to improving Maresca’s squad. Despite signing two goalkeepers last summer, the Blues want a new no. 1 – not surprising considering of Djordje Petrovic frailties.

The departure of Thiago Silva requires the signing of a new centre-back. To sinwho is out of contract at Fulham, is set to be the first signing of the Maresca era.

Reece James and of Ben Chilwell without end Injury problems could prompt Chelsea to target new full-backs as their search for a proven No.9 continues – despite spending a combined £84million on strikers Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku last summer.

Jackson showed flashes of promise during his debut season – scoring 14 goals in 31 starts – but is not the reliable target man Chelsea have been crying out for, perhaps dating back to the departure of Diego Costa in 2017.

The Boehly-Clearlake property has sanctioned more than £1bn of transfer spending since arriving two years ago. Expect this to continue.

More money, more problems?

The owners have successfully shed many of the expensive contracts they inherited, but two remain outstanding – Romelu Lukaku and Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Lukaku is under contract until 2026 and Arrizabalaga has just 12 months left. Both spent the entirety of last season on loan at Roma and Real Madrid respectively, but have now returned to Stamford Bridge where they will command big wages. Finding a buyer for any of them will be difficult.

They are also returning to West London Ian Maatsen and Armando Broja. Borussia Dortmund are said to want to keep hold of Maatsen, but Broja has struggled to make an impact at Fulham.

As home players, the sale of each would raise valuable funds to comply with the Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

His future Omari Hutchinson it also remains in the balance. After helping Ipswich to promotion to the Premier League, Chelsea could capitalize on reported interest in the winger from across Europe.

While Chelsea are not understood to be under pressure to raise funds ahead of the June 30 PSR deadline, of Conor Gallagher the future still needs to be addressed. Despite captaining the team more than any other player this season, the midfielder is showing no signs of extending a contract that only has a year to go.

Questions also remain as to whether Gallagher fits Maresca’s possession-obsessed style.

It addresses youth imbalance

Immaturity has undermined Pochettino’s authority during his time in charge.

The final three months of his reign – losing just one of their last 15 league games – have hinted at potential, but it’s clear such a young squad needs an injection of experience and leadership.

One of Pochettino’s more gripping press conferences came after a 6-0 home win over Everton, when the head coach had to deal with a fall from a line on the pitch between the players after Jackson and Noni Madueke collided following a penalty.

“I’m so angry,” Pochettino said Sky Sports, despite his team’s biggest win of his tenure. “I will not accept this kind of situation. I will be very strong. I promise it will not happen again. It is a shame and unacceptable.”

The Blues have had the youngest average starting XI in the division this season – despite 39-year-old Thiago Silva starting 27 games. His replacement will be key – they have conceded eight more goals than in any previous Premier League campaign.

And yet, youth addiction is no accident. Since taking over, Chelsea have signed 33 players. Only three have passed the age of 25 – and of those, only Raheem Sterling remains at the club.

The strategy is clear: invest in a group of young players who will mature and improve together. The hope is that they will eventually form the basis of the next great Chelsea team. Maresca will know he has to accept this approach.

Will Maresca have a say?

Pochettino has never been entirely comfortable operating within Chelsea’s rigid structure – one that requires the head coach to cede power to him Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewartthe co-sporting directors, who led Pochettino’s termination and Maresca’s pursuit in double-quick time.

Pochettino spoke in veiled terms about a perceived lack of control over those above him in April, saying: “I don’t have the key to the club. I don’t make all the decisions here.

“If this is not my decision, you have to judge me and judge him on his job, right? Because it’s not my direct responsibility.”

That outburst contributed significantly to the Argentine’s downfall.

Ultimately, though, the big decisions are made by the owners – Boehly, plus Behdad Eghbali and Jose Feliciano from Clearlake.

Despite Boehly appointing himself interim sporting director during their first transfer window, Eghbali became the club’s controlling, all-powerful force, while Winstanley and Stewart were entrusted with day-to-day operations.

The co-sporting directors have now put their faith in Maresca to deliver, but if, like Pochettino and Potter, he falls by the wayside, the spotlight is likely to be on their strategic take as never before.