Enzo Maresca

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Enzo Maresca
0Full Name	Enzo Maresca
0Date of Birth	10 February 1980
0Place of Birth	Pontecagnano Faiano, Italy
0Chelsea career	2024-2026
0Win percentage	59%
0Honours	UEFA Conference League: '25 FIFA Club World Cup: '25
0Other clubs	Parma Leicester City

Enzo Maresca is a former manager of Chelsea.

Contents 1 Before Chelsea 1.1 Early career 2 Chelsea 3 Managerial record

Before Chelsea

Early career

Maresca enjoyed a varied and accomplished playing career across Italy, England, Spain, and Greece. He began at West Bromwich Albion before rising to prominence at Juventus, where he won domestic titles and gained experience at the highest level of Italian football. His most celebrated spell as a player came at Sevilla, where he played a key role in the club’s UEFA Cup triumphs in 2006 and 2007, scoring twice in the 2006 final and earning the Man of the Match award.

A technically gifted midfielder with strong tactical awareness, Maresca later played for clubs including Málaga, Olympiacos, Sampdoria, Palermo, and Hellas Verona. His exposure to multiple footballing cultures and tactical systems significantly influenced his understanding of the game, laying the groundwork for his transition into coaching.

After retiring as a player, Maresca moved swiftly into coaching. He began with youth and assistant roles, including a short spell managing Parma during a difficult period for the club. His coaching philosophy matured during his time within the Manchester City structure, where he worked as an assistant coach under Pep Guardiola and later managed Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad.

At City, Maresca became closely associated with Guardiola’s positional play principles: structured build-up, numerical superiority in midfield, and strict occupation of space. His work with young players and tactical detail earned him growing recognition as a coach ready for senior management at a high level.

Maresca’s breakthrough as a head coach came with Leicester City in 2023. Tasked with rebuilding the club following relegation from the Premier League, he implemented a clear possession-based identity in the Championship. Leicester dominated the league with a controlled, technically refined style, securing promotion at the first attempt and winning the Championship title.

His Leicester side was notable for its tactical organisation, calmness in possession, and consistency across the season. The success significantly elevated Maresca’s reputation, marking him as one of the most promising young coaches in European football.

Chelsea

Enzo Maresca was appointed head coach of Chelsea on 3 June 2024, signing a five-year contract and succeeding Mauricio Pochettino ahead of the 2024–25 season. His appointment reflected Chelsea’s long-term strategic shift toward structured, possession-based football and faith in a coach capable of working with a young, technically gifted squad. Coming off an impressive promotion-winning campaign with Leicester City, Maresca arrived at Stamford Bridge with growing expectations and a clear tactical identity.

Chelsea’s competitive debut under Maresca ended in defeat, but the early weeks of the season quickly revealed attacking potential and tactical direction. A high-scoring league victory soon followed, and by September Chelsea had built momentum strong enough to earn Maresca his first Premier League Manager of the Month award. His early work focused on establishing positional discipline, controlled build-up play, and a more coherent pressing structure—areas that had lacked consistency in previous seasons.

The 2024–25 campaign proved largely successful. Chelsea finished fourth in the Premier League, securing a return to Champions League football, and enjoyed a notable European run. Under Maresca’s guidance, the club won the UEFA Conference League, defeating Real Betis convincingly in the final and becoming one of the few clubs in European football to have completed the full set of continental trophies. The following summer, Chelsea added further silverware by winning the expanded FIFA Club World Cup, a triumph that reinforced the sense of tangible progress under his leadership.

Despite these achievements, Maresca’s tenure was not without challenges. The 2025–26 season brought increased pressure as Chelsea competed across multiple competitions, and league form became increasingly inconsistent. Heavy defeats in key matches exposed structural weaknesses and drew public criticism from the head coach himself, who openly questioned performances and intensity on several occasions. Injuries, squad rotation demands, and the strain of a congested calendar further complicated Chelsea’s domestic campaign.

Behind the scenes, reports suggested growing tension between Maresca and the club’s hierarchy over recruitment strategy, squad management, and tactical priorities. While the club continued to compete in European competition and remained within reach of league objectives, a prolonged dip in league form intensified scrutiny. On 1 January 2026, Chelsea and Maresca mutually agreed to part ways, ending his tenure after approximately eighteen months in charge.

Maresca’s spell at Chelsea is remembered as a period of contrast: one that delivered major international trophies and moments of clear tactical evolution, but also highlighted the difficulty of sustaining consistency in a demanding, high-expectation environment. His time at the club reflected both the promise of a modern, possession-driven project and the volatility inherent in elite football management.

Managerial record

	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
League	57	28	15	14	96	64	+32	49%
FA Cup	2	1	0	1	6	2	-2	50%
Lg Cup	5	4	0	1	14	7	+7	80%
Europe	21	16	1	4	58	20	+28	76%
Other	7	5	1	1	17	5	+12	71%
Total	92	54	17	21	191	98	+93	59%

Managers

Robertson (1905–06) • Lewis (1906–07) • Calderhead (1907–33) • Knighton (1933–39) • Birrell (1939–52) Drake (1952–61) • Docherty (1961–67) • Sexton (1967–74) • Suart (1974–75) • McCreadie (1975–77) • Shellito (1977–78) Blanchflower (1978–79) • Hurst (1979–81) • Neal (1981–85) • Hollins (1985–88) • Campbell (1988–91) Porterfield (1991–93) • Webb (1993) • Hoddle (1993–96) • Gullit (1996–98) • Vialli (1998–00) • Ranieri (2000–04) Mourinho (2004–07) • Grant (2007–08) • Scolari (2008–09) • Hiddink (2009) • Ancelotti (2009–11) Villas-Boas (2011–12) • Di Matteo (2012) • Benítez (2012–13) • Mourinho (2013–15) • Hiddink (2015–16) Conte (2016–)