Soccer

Enzo Maresca never doubted he was ready for Chelsea task

The Blues boss had no Premier League experience before he was appointed in the summer, instead guiding Leicester to promotion from the Championship.

Enzo Maresca said seeing his players happy has been a highlight of his work at Stamford Bridge
Enzo Maresca said seeing his players happy has been a highlight of his work at Stamford Bridge (Martin Rickett/PA)
By Robert O'Connor, PA

Enzo Maresca said a lack of Premier League experience never caused him to doubt himself ahead of being appointed Chelsea head coach.

The Blues have surpassed expectations to climb to third in the table ahead of Wednesday’s visit to bottom club Southampton, with the division’s youngest squad having made rapid progress under their 44-year-old boss.

Victory over Aston Villa on Sunday was achieved with possibly the most complete performance seen from a Chelsea side since American owners Clearlake Capital bought the club in May 2022, and gave the clearest indication yet that their recent turmoil is behind them.

On Tuesday Maresca marked six months since being appointed in the aftermath of leading Leicester to an immediate top-flight return, with the doubts over his lack of Premier League experience that had circulated amongst supporters and the media seemingly answered.

“The good part of this job is first of all to see the players improve and then to see the players happy,” he said. “For me it’s the best feeling when you join a club and you can see how the players improve, how they are happy working that way.

“I don’t doubt myself. The only thing I can say is all Premier League managers, Eddie Howe when he started (at Newcastle), he had experience? No. Pep (Guardiola) when he started at Barcelona, experience? No. Mikel (Arteta) when he started at Arsenal? No. When you started as a journalist? Experience? No.

“We all are in the same situation. When you start you don’t have experience. You can’t go to the supermarket and buy experience. You need time. It’s not only for me, it’s for all of us in different jobs.

“But in terms of doubting myself? No.”

Maresca repeated his belief that his side are not ready to challenge for the title despite drawing level on points with second-placed Arsenal.

Cole Palmer struck Chelsea’s third goal in Sunday’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa
Cole Palmer struck Chelsea’s third goal in Sunday’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa (Zac Goodwin/PA)

Chelsea have lost only once in the league since the opening weekend, whilst going back to mid-February – when the team was still managed by Mauricio Pochettino – the only teams to beat them have been last season’s top three.

That has amounted to three league defeats in 28 games across 10 months with 16 wins in that time, all of which points to a potentially bright future in west London after two years in which the club has been roundly criticised and ridiculed for decisions taken off the pitch and results on it.

Maresca, though, was keen to put things into perspective.

“For sure we want this momentum to continue,” he said. “But not because we are thinking to win the title. We want to continue winning games and then we’ll see, but it’s not because we are thinking about the end of the season.

“You have to be ready (for a dip). It’s difficult to continue all season in the way we are now. A different moment will come and we’ll need to manage that and deal with it.”