Enzo Maresca

[Centurions]

Have you not noted the dire football he plays…

Perhaps, but he has nice hair...

 

[Eaststander1]

Pep didn’t seem to stay anywhere long before he joined us. :-)

Yep, but Pep never went through that amount of clubs .

Maresca's two previous short spells at City didn't even seem to amount to a couple of seasons in total.

 

[Manchester_lalala]

Chelsea fan I work with said his football was the best they’ve played since Conte won them the league. He just said he doesn’t have a plan B once they start to struggle and his in-game decision making is quite poor.

The last bit doesn’t sound to dissimilar to Pep, especially in the early years.

 

[Protein Junkie]

I’ll wait until I see the squad unity and results before I judge him.

 

[Uwe Already]

Perhaps, but he has nice hair...

Just a shame it’s in a bag in his wardrobe!

 

[CC1]

The mental gymnastics you had to go through to make that sentence is amusing to say the least, but good effort. Probably a better effort than what Maresca will do.

love winding you up and if you think your jibes offend me - think again. Mental gymnastics - now that is funny.

 

[cleavers]

Maresca's two previous short spells at City didn't even seem to amount to a couple of seasons in total.

Maybe that was by design, by the club, so he could get experience.

 

[nmc]

Perhaps, but he has nice hair...

We don’t hire managers with hair anymore.

 

[TueartsCossackSpray]

MACARENA

He looks like Pep and he’s just as witty.

he’s got a bald head and his wife is pretty

He fooked off Chelsea to manage Man city

Ennnnnzo Maresca oh yeah.

 

[The Blue Eh]

I have no doubt if City did indeed come calling he would want to take the opportunity.

But one thing fascinates me is where will his line of responsibility start and end at City.

Pep clearly had significant input into most matters but Meresca had major issues it seems when he for instance was overruled by the medical team when it came to players fitness and in particular how many minutes a returning player should be given or when he as HC was told a player suffering a long term injury wouldn’t lead to another signing.

Will Meresca be a HC or want to have the sort of input we , Chelsea, now seem to granted Alonso?

This right here may be the root of the problem. Maresca was head coach at Chelsea but (if confirmed) will be manager at City. The medical team does not overrule the City manager. They provide their analysis and recommendations, and the manager makes a final decision. A different level of responsibility and accountability for all parties.

If Alonso has any guile, he will have negotiated that arrangement. If not, he has a foot in the revolving door already. Only a matter of time before the Chelsea housekeeping team or kit man or tea lady overrules him.

 

[Doc_Testosterone]

love winding you up and if you think your jibes offend me - think again. Mental gymnastics - now that is funny.

Buddy hate to break it to you but unlike some, I never take people online seriously. Don’t let your cortisol rise, let Maresca be the person for that as we are facing a rough ride soon.

 

[Marvin.]

Did it ?

Speculation, despite what you say.

Initially, speculation, but I do not think there is much doubt that Maresca's exit from Chelsea, and his subsequent appointment by City is being reviewed by lawyers.

Life is about making observations, and interpreting them and engaging with people constructively.

 

[eastmanc]

Lot of negativity about Meresca before he's even started. Give him a chance he might just surprise a few, but then again this is Blue moan we are talking about, so maybe not.

 

[Coatigan]

Yet it turned out that I was right about the nature of the delay.

Initially, speculation, but I do not think there is much doubt that Maresca's exit from Chelsea, and his subsequent appointment by City is being reviewed by lawyers.

Life is about making observations, and interpreting them and engaging with people constructively.

Not really.

Yes the second is very likely true, and the vague reports seem to have something in them.

Doesn't mean that is the reason though for 'the delay', could be any of a number of things, each guess as valid as any. If indeed there even is, a 'delay'.

This time 10 years ago we were still a month away from formally appointing Pep. 13 years ago, we hadn't yet appointed Pellegrini at this stage.

In Khaldoon's interview, he noted the new manager will be announced very soon, and he was absolutely calm and confident about it. Which usually transpired that the club knew what they were doing all along.

 

[terraloon]

Chelsea fan I work with said his football was the best they’ve played since Conte won them the league. He just said he doesn’t have a plan B once they start to struggle and his in-game decision making is quite poor.

As many will know I am a Chelsea supporter who has a ST so go to games and mix with significant other supporters of the club.

I genuinely can tell you that his style of football was dire. His obsession with passing across the backline often using the keeper wasn’t anything other than a bore fest.
Meresca likens football to a game of Chess. I play a lot of chess sadly his wasn’t a game of speed chess it was a game where the next move would take ages in the delivery.

If you go back to his time at Leicester although he got them promoted the supporters there had no regrets when he left. They pointed to the quality of the squad in terms of being head and shoulders above other championship contenders and the fact they eventually stumbled over the line. They had a terrible run toward the end of the season and it was claimed that was because other teams simply set a low block.

The fan you spoke to was 100% right when he talked about no plan b and whilst to a degree he was restricted when it came to substitutions he didn’t bring on players who the crowd were calling for.

For instance we have a player called Josh Acheapong who can play anywhere accross the backline. He is going to be a top player and every time you do see him you wonder why he wasn’t the obvious choice when late into a game Meresca bought off one of the back 4 he simply went for the likes of Tosin or Badisallie who were not close in terms of ability, tactical awareness or speed.

 

[CC1]

Buddy hate to break it to you but unlike some, I never take people online seriously. Don’t let your cortisol rise, let Maresca be the person for that as we are facing a rough ride soon.

Buddy??? Now that explains a lot!

Well I agree. Why would I take your funny posts seriously?
And we all prefer to listen to Khaldoon’s opinions on the proposed new manager because, after all, he has a lot more information on the candidates than you.

But try & not get too down after all, it’s been an unimaginable 12 years & you must have enjoyed going to all the matches; to Wembley; to Istanbul like me & that can never be taken away from us. (Did you?)

 

[jaiguruKun]

As many will know I am a Chelsea supporter who has a ST so go to games and mix with significant other supporters of the club.

I genuinely can tell you that his style of football was dire. His obsession with passing across the backline often using the keeper wasn’t anything other than a bore fest.
Meresca likens football to a game of Chess. I play a lot of chess sadly his wasn’t a game of speed chess it was a game where the next move would take ages in the delivery.

If you go back to his time at Leicester although he got them promoted the supporters there had no regrets when he left. They pointed to the quality of the squad in terms of being head and shoulders above other championship contenders and the fact they eventually stumbled over the line. They had a terrible run toward the end of the season and it was claimed that was because other teams simply set a low block.

The fan you spoke to was 100% right when he talked about no plan b and whilst to a degree he was restricted when it came to substitutions he didn’t bring on players who the crowd were calling for.

For instance we have a player called Josh Acheapong who can play anywhere accross the backline. He is going to be a top player and every time you do see him you wonder why he wasn’t the obvious choice when late into a game Meresca bought off one of the back 4 he simply went for the likes of Tosin or Badisallie who were not close in terms of ability, tactical awareness or speed.

How's it worked out for you since he left?

He'll be working with a much better squad here.

 

[remember arthur mann]

The last bit doesn’t sound to dissimilar to Pep, especially in the early years.

Let's hope the new manager has his first ten years like Pep.

 

[Ban-jani]

As many will know I am a Chelsea supporter who has a ST so go to games and mix with significant other supporters of the club.

I genuinely can tell you that his style of football was dire. His obsession with passing across the backline often using the keeper wasn’t anything other than a bore fest.
Meresca likens football to a game of Chess. I play a lot of chess sadly his wasn’t a game of speed chess it was a game where the next move would take ages in the delivery.

If you go back to his time at Leicester although he got them promoted the supporters there had no regrets when he left. They pointed to the quality of the squad in terms of being head and shoulders above other championship contenders and the fact they eventually stumbled over the line. They had a terrible run toward the end of the season and it was claimed that was because other teams simply set a low block.

The fan you spoke to was 100% right when he talked about no plan b and whilst to a degree he was restricted when it came to substitutions he didn’t bring on players who the crowd were calling for.

For instance we have a player called Josh Acheapong who can play anywhere accross the backline. He is going to be a top player and every time you do see him you wonder why he wasn’t the obvious choice when late into a game Meresca bought off one of the back 4 he simply went for the likes of Tosin or Badisallie who were not close in terms of ability, tactical awareness or speed.

Do you not think it was because of your personnel, though?

He’s obviously playing a flavour of Guardiola football and we’ve seen ourselves that when the team can’t do it, the football can be poor, but when the team clicks, it’s the purest form of the game. Fortunately it was most of Pep’s City career it was the latter but we did have the odd occasion when the team was in transition and we seemed to just pass sideways. You’re only talking a few months out of 10 years so this isn’t a criticism of Pep but there’s a thread in the classics forum where someone asks if it’s the dullest football since Stuart Pearce was manager, which everyone laughed at because it ended up clicking and we won a league and cup double that season, but for a period it was dull until the team started playing.

You need players that can get it through the lines and into attack once you’ve controlled possession and if the team can’t do that, you end up endlessly passing it sideways waiting for the opportunity to do it. We’ve been fortunate to have the likes of John Stones, Rodri dropping back into the back line and many others to do that, Chelsea’s defence has been a subject of a lot of criticism.

Maresca was heavily influential in our 2022/2023 tactics apparently, Pep credits him with the Stones in midfield idea. That was probably the most control I’ve ever seen as City team have and Maresca obviously values control.

I don’t recall Chelsea fans criticising him at the time, his stock seemed to be pretty high until it went sour at the end, but that seems to have been following the board sticking their nose into team selections and the relationship behind the scenes falling apart. I also though Chelsea played pretty well on the break against us at times when we played you.

We’ll have to wait and see, our owners don’t seem to get their managerial appointments wrong, they’ve appointed three and all of them have at least won the league and a domestic cup, I’d very much take that again with Maresca and I think we’re a far better organised and ran club, with a better squad to play a certain way. If Maresca is going to play position based football, that builds up from the back, I’d back our team to make it successful.

 

[Gordyola]

Yep, but Pep never went through that amount of clubs .

Maresca's two previous short spells at City didn't even seem to amount to a couple of seasons in total.

Enzo spent two seasons at City
EDS manager wining the PL2
Pep's number 2 winning the treble
Thats two full seasons
Was Parma manger for 6 months or so
Managed Leicester City to promotion to PL finishing as champions
He was poached by Chelsea
Won the Conference League and Club Wc and secured a 4th place finish
Had spells as assistant manager at Sevilla and WHU

Not a bad return for a short spell in management