admin
AFTER starting the season as everyone’s favourite joke, it may be time to take Chelsea seriously.
With their warring owners having splurged £1.2billion on under-performing ‘talent’, the Blues were ripe for a kicking.
But there now appears to be at least some sort of plan and they are just one point behind Arsenalafter nine games.
Cole Palmer has developed into one of the best players in the Premier League.
And Nicolas Jackson has been transformed from a misfiring, yellow-card collecting figure of fun into a clinical striker.
Moises Caicedo, all £115million of him, appears to be a capable footballer after all — having looked out of his depth following his huge switch from Brighton last year.
Boss Enzo Maresca has turned Chelsea from a clown car into — if not quite a Ferrari — something far more sensible.
When he was plotting his next move in the summer, many would have forgiven him for snubbing the Blues.
There was interest from his native Italy, across Europe and also other Prem clubs.
Chelsea was far from the easy option — especially as he had never previously managed in the top flight.
But against a lot of noise and fury he has taken a firm hold on the club.
Maresca — who won the Championship for Leicester in his first full season as a manager last term — has taken to the job with an authority few with such little experience can command.
He arrived weighed down by comparisons to former mentor Pep Guardiola. He was labelled Pep 2.0 or Diet Pep.
But through a combination of charm, resilience and — most importantly — results, Maresca has made his own way.
As early as the club’s pre-season tour of America — already a challenge with a ludicrous five games in five different cities — the new manager was up against the Chelsea circus.
Star midfielder Enzo Fernandez publicly divided the squad after being accused of singing a racist song, while fans’ favourite Conor Gallagher was forced out.
Meanwhile, Raheem Sterling’s exit was frantic and mishandled.
But Maresca emerged unscathed.
While from the outside the tour looked a nightmare, travelling with the squad a sense of calm came from the manager.
Rarely did he say anything to inflame situations that were largely out of his control and ordered from on-high.
Those around Maresca have tried to ensure he can set a firm tone when speaking to supporters via the media and get his ideas across with clarity and authority.
Having seen his former West Brom team-mate Graham Potter suffer under the Stamford Bridge spotlight, he had to be ready.
Maresca’s agency Wasserman — who also represent Potter — enlisted the help of Adrian Phillips, a former Chelsea senior communications manager, to prepare the coach for his step into the unknown. —Sun.
Online Reporter