- Chelsea could have gone back to Mourinho or Tuchel but were won over by Maresca’s enthusiasm and enterprise
It was supposed to be a straightforward unveiling in the suite of Stamford Bridge’s West Stand. Get in. Get to know the Premier League’s newest manager. Get out.
Then we were introduced to Jose Mourinho. That was on June 2, 2004, the day of his ‘special one’ declaration and the 20-year anniversary of which is this Sunday.
He did not want a headline like the ‘Arsene Who?’ that appeared in the London Evening Standard upon Wenger’s arrival at Arsenal. He wanted to explain why we should be excited, grateful even, that he chose England as his next destination for domination.
If Nicolaus Copernicus was still here to theorise on where we could find the centre of the universe, he might have wished to investigate that press conference. But Mourinho went on to make fools of the sceptics who scoffed at his assertions, living up the hype he created in front of around 100 members of the media that Wednesday morning.
He came, he saw, he conquered. It was conveniently ignored that he actually said he was ‘a special one’ and not ‘the special one’, a sponsor supposedly embroidering that misquoted moniker into his Chelsea coat after winning the Premier League in his very first season.
Chelsea have announced former Leicester boss Enzo Maresca as their new head coach
Maresca has never managed at the highest level but showcased a possession-based brand of football at Leicester that Chelsea desire
This Sunday is the anniversary of Jose Mourinho’s famous unveiling at which he declared himself to be ‘the special one’
We are unlikely to hear Enzo Maresca speak as boldly at his upcoming unveiling, but even a fraction of the self-confidence carried by Mourinho all those years ago might help reassure those Chelsea supporters seeing this appointment as a risk.
It is down to the 44-year-old Italian christened ‘Diet Pep’ to show he is not one from the bottle – to win over those fans who do not believe this former assistant to Pep Guardiola can turn their club into the envy of English and European football once again.
Inexperienced though he is, having never managed at the highest level after Leicester City in the Championship and Parma in Serie B, Maresca is entitled to that benefit. Naturally, the best way to dissuade the doubters is by winning. Another way is to own the room once the cameras are rolling and it helps that Maresca is prone to the odd zinger in front of the press.
As Leicester manager, he once said of Leeds United: ‘It’s a huge, huge, huge game for them. For us, it’s normal.’ They are words which would not sound unusual coming out of Mourinho’s mouth and could endear him to the cynics if Maresca speaks with such authority at Chelsea.
Leicester correspondents will tell you that Maresca is likeliest to show his bullish side when challenged on his tactics. Those close to Chelsea’s new head coach say he sees his football as the best way – the only way – to win.
It involves a 4-3-3 set-up – similar to Guardiola’s – in which the full back moves into midfield. In turn, the goalkeeper pushes up the pitch to become the fourth defender. Having a shot-stopper who is comfortable on the ball is non-negotiable, hence why statistics show Leicester’s Mads Hermansen last season played more passes than any goalkeeper in Championship history.
Supporters at Stamford Bridge will not get neck aches from watching long-ball football. There will be no impressions of Peter Kay shouting ‘ave it’ from a John Smith’s advert. Only overloads, plenty of possession, wingers staying wide, and, Chelsea hope, complete control.
One of the accusations levelled at Maresca was how he ‘nearly blew a 17-point lead’ with Leicester last term, as if that gap appeared by magic. He got them into pole position then over the line, using a possession-based style of play which Chelsea wanted for themselves and paid a compensation package worth around £10million to secure.
The 44-year-old has been christened ‘Diet Pep’ after honing his skills as assistant to Pep Guardiola (centre)
Even a fraction of Mourinho’s self-confidence might help Maresca reassure Chelsea supporters
It could fly at Chelsea. It could flop. However it unfolds, Maresca does not deserve to be found guilty of supposed shortcomings by the court of social media before he has tested those tactics in the Premier League. He may not have won the Champions League or UEFA Cup or Portuguese Primeira Liga like Mourinho had with Porto by 2004. But in 2024, Maresca is Chelsea’s chosen one, selected for his tactical nous which led Leicester to the Championship title last season.
Chelsea have seen how Arsenal became title contenders under Mikel Arteta, another Guardiola discipline who had even less experience as a head coach than Maresca when appointed. They are privately pledging to exercise patience after handing him a five-year deal with the option of a sixth. Time will tell if that contract is honoured if instant success does not follow.
Chelsea’s ownership group make no secret of their goals. They want to consistently challenge for the Premier League. They want to compete in the Champions League.
They want to conquer the Conference League, with club sources saying they are optimistically looking at Europe’s third-tier competition as an opportunity to ‘win it all for a second time’ after previously lifting every other trophy there is. They want to enter the Club World Cup next summer as a team to fear.
Maresca will not have carte blanche at Chelsea but has instead signed up to be a key component of a club-wide strategy. Co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart sought a dynamic head coach who would happily work with them, not against, and allowed Maresca to handpick an elite ensemble of eight backroom staff members with another two appointments to follow, as revealed by Mail Sport before Monday’s official announcement.
Maresca may not have won the European Cup but he has been selected for his tactical nous in guiding Leicester back up to the Premier League as champions
Chelsea could have gone back to Mourinho or Thomas Tuchel but they were won over by the enthusiasm and expertise of Maresca
Chelsea could have gone in a different direction after their amicable divorce with Mauricio Pochettino. They could have crawled back to Mourinho or Thomas Tuchel or Antonio Conte, or turned to Roberto De Zerbi or Thomas Frank, both proven in the Premier League.
In the end, they were won over by the enthusiasm and expertise of Maresca, the tactician who will inevitably face scepticism when walking out at Stamford Bridge for the first time in August. Chelsea hope he will show why they consider him to be so special.