Enzo Maresca appointed Chelsea head coach in a bid to boost team morale
- Enzo Maresca has been appointed as the new head coach of Chelsea, succeeding Mauricio Pochettino.
- Some senior players at Chelsea are skeptical about the club's direction following Pochettino's departure.
- Maresca faces the task of lifting the team's mood and winning over the senior players.
Maresca, who is 44 years old, led Leicester to win the Championship title in the past season. This was his first full season as a head coach. He now replaces Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea, who left two weeks ago by mutual agreement. Maresca is the fifth manager under the ownership of Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly in the last two years. The previous managers were Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Frank Lampard, and Pochettino. Bruno Saltor also briefly took charge after Potter left. Maresca's contract is significant as it includes an option for the club to extend it for another year. This shows the owners want to take a new direction. Under Pochettino, Chelsea ended the season with five consecutive wins, finishing sixth in the Premier League and qualifying for the UEFA Conference League. This was an improvement from their 12th place finish in the previous season. Chelsea will participate in the revamped Club World Cup in the summer of 2025 as the 2021 Champions League winners. Maresca has been influenced by Pep Guardiola, whom he worked under at Manchester City. He initially managed the club's elite development squad in the 2020-21 season, winning the Premier League 2 title. After a brief stint as the manager of Parma, he returned to City as Guardiola's assistant in 2022, helping them achieve treble-winning success. Maresca joined Leicester last year to revive the club after their relegation from the Premier League. He even lived at the training ground for two months to understand the job better. This article was removed on 3 June 2024.