There are some who agree with Enzo Maresca’s sentiments about January being “disastrous”, but perhaps for different reasons, writes Sky Sports’ Gail Davis.
It seemed like the Chelsea manager didn’t have much time to make New Year’s resolutions. It took me a few minutes to figure out when his last vacation was. For the record, it was during the international match period in November.
What’s on most of his mind is finding a way to get Chelsea’s season going again. The club’s last league win came against Brentford in mid-December. They squandered their chance by going ahead against Fulham on Boxing Day and have not won in the league since. Add in the increased “noise” the January transfer window brings, especially at clubs like Chelsea, and you begin to understand his disdain for the month.
He joked that his answer to being a happy Chelsea manager might be to keep his phone on silent this month.
“I think it’s better not to answer.” He laughed.
Another key issue around finding a way for Chelsea to win again may not be as easy as flipping a switch. What concerns Chelsea is that a bit of a pattern is emerging.
Against Fulham on Boxing Day, they dominated the first half and took the lead only to be sucked into a game plan they didn’t want to play after half-time, with the game ending in a 2-1 win for Fulham. A defeat against Ipswich followed after Maresca’s side were again wasteful in front of goal. They then drew with Crystal Palace after Cole Palmer put Chelsea ahead but failed to close the match. Last Tuesday at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea had 26 shots on target and 10 on target against Bournemouth. Palmer scored first but needed a Reece James free-kick in the second half to salvage a point.
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Highlights of Chelsea’s match against Bournemouth in the Premier League
Maresca, who has only a short management career, has faced similar challenges before. The club was left shaken after blowing the Championship away in the opening months at Leicester last year.
He said he learned a lesson from that and could use some of what he learned about what Leicester did to overcome that and return to the Premier League. Ultimately, he says, the risks may seem higher, but the solutions are the same.
“No, I don’t feel pressure, whether I was at Leicester last year or here. I mean, I feel pressure because I put pressure on myself to see how we can do better and how we can help the players improve.” he said.
“So there’s definitely that kind of pressure, but it’s not just here. It was last year, in some ways it was two years ago, so for me it’s not a big change between last year and this year.
“At the end of the day, the best thing is to work with 20 players, 25 players every day. Young players want to learn, they want to improve and this is the same thing at Leicester here or what I said about two years ago.”
He added: “If you look at the table at the moment, we’ve all had bad moments and bad results over four or five games, unless it’s Liverpool – Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle, Aston Villa, City – us.
“So I think it’s normal, normal, that moments like this will happen during the season. That’s not the case for Liverpool and if they can finish the season the way they do, it means: They fully deserve the win, but they have to play. “There are so many games, anything can happen.”
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In the more difficult moments, I ask, “Do I have a network of people I can reach out to outside of my coaching team?”
The answer is surprising, as you can only imagine the names and numbers saved in his contacts, considering Maresca has played for 11 clubs in four countries alongside Carlo Ancelotti, Marcello Lippi and, of course, Pep Guardiola.
“My four children,” he says.
“I don’t think you can be more honest than your kids,” he adds. “But is there really no one else?”
“No, there isn’t any.” Maresca answers. “I and the coaching staff try to help each other and no one outside the club or the coaching staff,” he admitted.
There is clearly an unwavering belief in what he is doing. You don’t need anyone else.
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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has explained why he recalled Crystal Palace defender Trevor Chalobah.
“I hope not now. I hope not in the future, but for now I’m fine. I’m here most of the day, seven to seven, and then I go home with my four kids and my wife. I’m trying to get some energy back. .”
“So come on, what’s the best thing one of your kids has said to you in the last few weeks? Something like, ‘Dad, when are you going to start scoring?’” I’m kidding.
“The good thing is that now they understand,” says Maresca. “My oldest child is 11 years old and he sometimes asks me about the changes. The media has already asked, the fans have asked, and now the kids are asking about the changes too.”
“Can I just love you and not worry about you? Okay, okay, okay, I love you, Dad?”
If only it were always as easy as laughing for us.
There is a lightness and warmth behind Maresca, but the overarching feeling of communicating with him is one of intensity and genuine strength. This is not surprising considering the impact Guardiola has had on his coaching career.
He has already shown in his short time at Chelsea that he can sometimes make unpopular decisions. He disputed the terms “cruel” and “honest.”
“I think that’s the best way if you can be honest with the players, be open and see that you’re real and not fake. And since we started, from day one, I try to do that. Be open and honest with them. I think they can see it if you try to break it.
“I hope they can recognize that.. I try to be close to the players. Because I want to be close to the players and, like I said, I want to be honest.”
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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca discusses the transfer rumors surrounding Renato Veiga and the realities of getting playing time at a young age.
The squad can never be in doubt about where they are and where they should be. And Maresca admitted in January that it would be difficult for some players, but is focused on that now.
One player who has been setting these standards and is certain to not be going anywhere for a while is Cole Palmer. Palmer, who was a doubt for Monday’s game against Wolves after the loss to Bournemouth, has been sensational this season. His opener on Tuesday night was another performance in which he added a special finish to his name in a Chelsea shirt.
Palmer signed a nine-year contract, which was something that raised eyebrows at the time and probably would have been until news broke of the Erling Haaland contract deal that was broken shortly before the interview. Two of the Premier League’s poster boys, two players Maresca has had the privilege of working closely with. But looking back 10 years from now will prove who could be the club’s bigger legend.
“It’s too complicated.” Maresca answers. “It’s almost impossible. First of all, you can imagine the future a little bit, but in the end, you never know, so a lot of things can happen.
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After signing a new contract with Premier League champions Manchester City, we take a look at the best goals Erling Haaland has scored in England’s top flight.
“The problem is that clubs like City and Chelsea try to protect or keep the best players they can. The good thing is that they are both top players and will be there for a long time to come. You can enjoy them for a long time.”
There’s an argument to be made that Palmer’s skills offer more to his team than Haaland’s. Maresca smiled. “We are happy with the way he is doing, but as we have said since we started, it is not right to rely on Cole for everything. He is helping us but we also have more players who are doing well and that is important.”
These players may get their chance on Monday and if they do, the complexion of the Chelsea manager’s month could begin to change.
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