ENZO MARESCA is the latest man that Chelsea believe can bring the glory days back to Stamford Bridge – and he is not coming alone.
The Leicester City boss, 44, is set to be appointed on a five-year deal with the option of a sixth.
Chelsea sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart flew to Marbella to meet the Italian after identifying him as their first choice.
The Blues are now in talks with Leicester over a compensation package for Maresca’s five coaching staff – on top of the £10million they are set to pay for the coach.
The former West Brom midfielder, who used to get lifts to training from ex-Blues boss Graham Potter, has hand-picked the team he wants behind him at Stamford Bridge.
There are eight names in total, with five coming with him from the King Power and another one to follow, with Chelsea giving them green light to work with their existing staff.
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Here’s a look at the eight men that will form Maresca’s backroom team:
WILLY CABALLERO (Assistant manager)
The former Chelsea goalie, who was part of the 2021 Champions League winning squad, is not just coming to help Maresca acclimatise to West London.
The Argentinean, 42, has been his No.2 at the King Power this season and has proven himself to be a key man for the Italian with his innovative ideas.
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DANNY WALKER (Coach)
Known as a specialist in individual coaching, he was previously part of Manchester City’s academy set-up.
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Plays a key role in implementing Maresca’s offensive ideas to the squad.
MARCOS ALVAREZ (Fitness coach)
Does his best work out on the grass, he is set to work closely with Chelsea’s head of performance Bryce Kavanagh.
The Blues had one of the worst injury records in the Premier League this term, something that he will likely have to look to improve as one of his key tasks regarding the fitness and conditioning of players.
JAVIER MOLINA CABALLERO (Analyst)
Joined Maresca’s Leicester staff as first team analyst 12 months ago having worked previously for the likes of Atletico Madrid, Parma, and Barcelona B.
He is now a crucial cog of the manager’s staff and will work very closely with the existing data department at Chelsea.
MICHELE DE BERNARDIN (Goalkeeping coach)
Tasked with improving both the technical and positional performance of the goalies he works with in addition to working with outfield ones on where to receive the ball from his keepers.
He will make up the five incoming from Leicester and is set to work closely with Ben Roberts.
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.
BEN ROBERTS (Goalkeeper coach and head of global goalkeeping)
The ex-Middlesbrough goalie moved to Stamford Bridge along with Graham Potter from Brighton two years ago but has impressed everybody.
Maresca has requested for him to stay and be a part of his backroom staff.
BERNARDO CUEVA (Set-piece coach)
He was brought to Chelsea from Brentford and will instantly join Maresca’s first-team staff.
The new boss was already planning to appoint a set-piece coach at Leicester after their promotion and now has one that is regarded as a leader in his field already at his disposal in West London.
ROBERTO VITIELLO (Development coach)
He is being recruited to help transition the club’s young players.
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His main task will be to provide a pathway to the first-team and prepare them for Maresca.
Vitiello is still at Leicester but the Blues will make their move for him after wrapping up the rest of the new man’s staff.
Why Leicester fans WON’T miss Maresca
IT IS fair to say most Leicester fans were not exactly pleading with Maresca to stay, writes Graeme Bryce
OK, they were not queueing up and offering to drive him to Stamford Bridge.
But there will not be too many tears shed or much wailing at the King Power either.
The fans’ attitude to losing their incredibly successful boss could be summed up in a word: ‘Meh’.
Maresca failed to win over the paying public who never really took to his patient, possession-based style of football.
Having been brought up — some would say spoiled — by the swashbuckling title winners of 2016, with Jamie Vardy spearheading manager Claudio Ranieri’s shock champions, Maresca never really got off the ground at the King Power.
So it will be interesting to see what Chelsea’s notoriously impatient fans make of Maresca’s ‘death by a thousand cuts’ style of play.
It was not long before some of the old-school Leicester fans started moaning that Maresca’s patient, play-out-from-the-back style was becoming too boring to watch.
During a 3-1 win over Swansea which left them ten points clear at the top, there were moans and groans coming from the stands amid cries of, ‘Get the ball forward’.
Fans accused him of stubbornly sticking to his Plan A — even when it was not working — and claimed he was way too slow to make substitutions.
But one thing Blues fans can look forward to is his man-management and his attention to detail.
And the Foxes players also adored their manager.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
