Neville urges Chelsea to give Maresca time
Chelsea have appointed their fourth manager in two years. The Blues’ appointment of Enzo Maresca means they have had him, Mauricio Pochettino, Frank Lampard and Graham Potter sit on the Stamford Bridge hot seat in just 24 months.
The hire and fire policy in west London is far from new. The likes of Antonio Conte, Carlo Ancelotti and Jose Mourinho have also suffered the fate that some recent managers have done. However, it is high time that the board led by Todd Boehly gives enough time to the current coach.
Gary Neville also thinks so and has made a comparison between Gordon Ramsay and Pep Guardiola while trying to get his point across. The Sky Sports pundit said the following on his podcast on their YouTube channel (beginning from 5:04):
“Look they’ve changed manager again they’ve got to give that manager time. I think the reason they’ve done that is they want this very clear identity and style of play. Maresca is one of the disciples of Pep Guardiola, he’s got quite a lot of them now it’s almost like Gordon Ramsey producing the Michelin star chefs that he’s done over the years and Pep Guardiola is producing Michelin star coaches um you know obviously another one at the top of the league Mikel Arteta where he’s having such an influence over them but it is going to take time.”
Chelsea are going through a transitional phase and it is probably going to be a year or two at least before they can give it a shot at winning the Premier League. The investment in younger players, however, is an indicator that Todd Boehly is thinking long-term.
Looking at the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and both Manchester clubs, it is perhaps reasonable to say that the Blues are not one of the favourites to make it into the top four of the English top flight, which would eventually mean Champions League football next year.
If indeed the club is prepared to wait to yield results from the players, it is questionable as to why managers are not getting the time. While Graham Potter’s sacking was justified, Pochettino’s dismissal was a grey area which caused debates among the fanbase, more so considering that the former Paris Saint-Germain boss had the support of his dressing room.
Enzo Maresca has worked with younger players at Leicester City and like Maresca stated, is Pep Guardiola’s student. Therefore, there is every reason for him to be successful at Stamford Bridge should he be given the time, more so looking at how Arteta has repaid the hierarchy’s trust at Arsenal, who were in a similar situation three or four years ago.
