LONDON: Faced with feuding owners, a bloated squad and intense pressure to drag Chelsea out of their malaise, Enzo Maresca has defied expectations by restoring order at chaotic Stamford Bridge. Maresca’s impressive start faces a stern test on Sunday when his fourth placed side visit Premier League leaders Liverpool. But few would have bet on Chelsea being involved in any top of the table clash this season when Maresca first arrived at the club’s Cobham training ground in the summer.

While Liverpool’s new boss Arne Slot has benefitted from the strong foundations put in place during the successful reign of his predecessor Jurgen Klopp, Maresca has had to work on shifting sands in west London. Fittingly for a stadium that borders the Brompton cemetery, Stamford Bridge has been a graveyard for managerial reputations in recent years. Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali sacked Thomas Tuchel just 100 days into their reign, even though the German had won the Champions League under previous owner Roman Abramovich in 2021.

Tuchel’s replacement Graham Potter arrived at Chelsea heralded as one of England’s brightest young coaches, but he was ruthlessly axed after less than seven months in charge. The widely admired Mauricio Pochettino lasted just one season before departing in May, paving the way for Maresca to accept the daunting job of reviving Chelsea’s fortunes in the close-season. Maresca was lured from Leicester after winning promotion to the Premier League last term, but cynics suggested he would soon become the latest victim of Chelsea’s blame game.

The 44-year-old Italian is in only his second season as a manager after serving as a member of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City coaching staff prior to taking charge at Leicester in 2023. A reported power struggle between Boehly and Eghbali adds another layer of difficulty for Maresca. After Boehly’s brief stint as the club’s sporting director during the first six months of the new regime, Eghbali has become the most hands-on figure within the ownership group. Their relationship is said to have deteriorated in recent months, with differing opinions over Pochettino’s exit, the club’s recruitment policy and the failure to make progress on the building of a new stadium.

Despite that difficult background, Maresca has quietly embarked on a culture change that could help him buck the trend and arrest Chelsea’s decline. Chelsea haven’t won the Premier League since 2017 and their domestic trophy drought has reached six years despite heavy spending on new signings. Boehly and Eghbali have splashed out well over £1 billion ($1.3 billion) during their turbulent reign, using a haphazard recruitment policy that has been a key factor in Chelsea’s travails. Yet Maresca’s time with the intense and tactically astute Guardiola has informed his approach to management, giving him the blueprint to rebuild Chelsea.

Tasked with improving an underachieving squad that finished sixth last season and 12th in the 2022-23 campaign, Maresca has coaxed mature performances from a largely youthful team. Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke and Levi Colwill have flourished, while Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez are much improved on last year thanks to Maresca’s deft man-management. “I’m very happy because what I expected in terms of players and level and style, I can see clearly that is there,” he said. “We just started two, three months ago. But I’m very happy because the club is one of the best in the world. I’m very excited to play with them.”

The Blues are unbeaten in their last seven games in all competitions, with four wins in seven league matches under Maresca. Chelsea’s haul of 16 league goals this term is bettered only by champions Manchester City. Improving on Chelsea’s dismal record of one win in their last 12 meetings with Liverpool in all competitions would be another significant feather in Maresca’s cap. “Very good players, very good manager, very good club. We are excited to play this kind of game,” Maresca said. — AFP