Worrying picture of Enzo Maresca emerges in first-ever Blues match as fans say ‘welcome to Chelsea’
ENZO MARESCA appears to have been left feeling blue after his first-ever Chelsea match.
Maresca, 44, joined the Stamford Bridge outfit following Mauricio Pochettino‘s exit at the end of last season.
The Italian coach – the club’s fifth manager since the Todd Boehly-led Clearlake takeover – sparked excitement among fans after footage of his pre-season training sessions emerged.
Fans no doubt hoped Maresca would be able to implement the same swashbuckling style of football which he used to take Leicester back to the Premier League by winning the Championship.
However, with Chelsea some way off the pace last season after a sixth-place finish in the Premier League, there was always a sense the project would take time to bear fruit.
Maresca took charge of his first game for Chelsea in a pre-season friendly against Wrexham during their US tour – with Reece James impressing in a new role on SunSport’s player ratings.
Christopher Nkunku got them off to a great start before Wrexham surged in to a 2-1 lead after the break, though Lesley Ugochukwu was able to salvage a draw with a late goal.
The game was also filled with drama as Levi Colwill was involved in a heated bust-up with Wrexham’s James McClean just moments into the California friendly.
An image of Maresca with his head in his hands while on the bench went viral following the match.
And fans were left with just one message: “Welcome to Chelsea.”
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A second said: “Welcome to the top league .”
Another said: “He’s already got headache.”
A fourth added: “Bro is tired already.”
Chelsea’s next game is against Celtic on July 27 down in Indiana.
Speaking about the team’s Wrexham draw, Maresca said: “The result is always important but in this moment, the most important thing is to judge the performance, especially after two weeks since we started.
“I was very happy in the first half and also in the second half.
Meet Pep Guardiola disciple Enzo Maresca
ENZO MARESCA is considered among the most exciting young coaches on the planet.
Born in Italy in 1980, he managed to guide Leicester to the Championship title in his first season as Foxes boss.
His management career started at Italian minnows Ascoli before he was snapped up by Man City in 2020 to manage their Elite Development Squad.
He guided the youth team to the Premier League 2 title in his one season working for the Citizens – with Cole Palmer in the side.
His first senior job was with Parma but he was sacked after just a few months after failing to impress.
Despite the team playing in Serie B and Maresca having an impressive squad he was unable to get them on course for promotion.
He returned to Man City and worked as one of Pep Guardiola’s assistants for the 2022/23 season as they won the Treble.
He took over relegated Leicester last summer and made an immediate impact, with the Foxes winning the Championship title.
Maresca showed his dedication to the job by living at the training ground for the first two months after his appointment.
He’s considered something of a Pep disciple and has said: “For a coach, it’s important to have the mentality of a chess player.”
During his playing career he played under Carlo Ancelotti and Marcello Lippi – and alongside ex-Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi.
“It is a shame that we conceded the two goals but overall, when you think about players like Wes [Fofana] who played 45 minutes after a year out and different situations, [I am pleased].
“The result for us is always important but in this moment, we have to judge different things so I am very happy with the performance.”
He added: “In this moment we are trying to build with three [defenders] and two [in defensive midfield].
“First half it was with Reece James inside and in the second half it was with Malo Gusto inside.
Chelsea's pre-season tour
Here is a look at Chelsea's full tour of the USA:
- Chelsea vs Wrexham – July 24 – Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California
- Chelsea vs Celtic – July 27 – Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, Indiana
- Chelsea vs Club America – July 31 – Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia
- Chelsea vs Manchester City – August 3 – Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio
- Chelsea vs Real Madrid – August 6 – Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Gotham FC vs Chelsea Women – August 19 – Red Bull Arena, Harrison, New Jersey
- Chelsea Women vs Arsenal Women – August 25 – Audi Field, Washington DC
“It doesn’t matter what the level of the opposition is when they sit back with 11 players behind the ball, it is always difficult to find space and solutions. It is not easy.
“We tried in the first half and we tried in the second half and for sure we did many things where we can improve.
“But we only started two weeks ago so for me, tonight it was important to start to see the identity of the team and the identity is there.”
Having already welcomed seven stars through the door, they are now edging closer to welcoming 22-year-old Villarreal goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen in a £21million transfer.
Maresca is said to be keen to add a new goalkeeper who is adept with the ball at his feet.
Jorgensen’s arrival may mean that Serbian Djordje Petrovic is sold just a year after he arrived at Stamford Bridge.
The keeper has not travelled to the US with Chelsea due to a minor injury but is expected to join up with the squad at some stage.