I imagine some agree with Enzo Maresca’s sentiments towards January being a “disaster”, but perhaps for different reasons, writes Sky Sports’ Gail Davis.
It didn’t look like the Chelsea boss had much time for New Year’s resolutions. He took a few minutes to train when it was his last day off – for the record it was sometime during the November international break.
What is occupying most of his mind is finding a way to reignite Chelsea’s season. The club’s last league win came back in mid-December against Brentford – they blew their chance after leading Fulham to go top of the table on Boxing Day and haven’t enjoyed a league win since. Add in the increased “noise” that the January transfer window brings, especially at a club like Chelsea, and you begin to understand his disdain for this month.
His answer to being a happy Chelsea manager, he jokes, may be keeping his phone on silent this month.
“I’d rather not answer,” he laughs.
The other burning issue surrounding finding a way to get Chelsea winning again may not be as easy as flipping a switch. The worry for Chelsea is that a pattern is emerging.
Against Fulham on Boxing Day they dominated the first half and took the lead only to find themselves stuck in a game plan they didn’t want to play after half-time, and the game ended in a 2-1 Fulham win. Defeat to Ipswich followed as Maresca’s side were again wasteful in front of goal. Then came the draw with Crystal Palace after Cole Palmer had put Chelsea ahead, but they were unable to close out the game. At Stamford Bridge last Tuesday, Chelsea had 26 shots against Bournemouth and 10 on target – Palmer scoring the first – but they needed a late Reece James free-kick to salvage a point.
Maresca in his short managerial career has faced a bump like this before. Last year at Leicester, after blowing up the Championship in the first few months, the club had a wobble.
He learned from it, he says, and could use some of the lessons of what he did to get past Leicester and back into the Premier League. Ultimately, he says, the stakes may seem higher, but the solutions are the same.
“No, I don’t feel pressure, whether I was at Leicester last year or here. I mean, I feel pressure because I put pressure on myself to see how we can do better, how we can help the players improve. he said.
“So that kind of pressure for sure, but it’s not just here. It was last year, it was two years ago in a way. So it’s not, for me, it’s not a big difference between last year and this year.
“In the end, the best thing is to work with 20 players, 25 players every day. Young players, they want to learn, they want to improve. And it’s the same job at Leicester as here or I said in like two years ago.”
He added: “If you look at the table at the moment, unless you’re Liverpool, the rest, we’ve all had a bad moment, bad results for four or five games, and it’s Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle, Aston Villa, City , everyone. from us.
“So I think the normal thing is that this kind of moment will happen during the season, the normal thing. It hasn’t really happened for Liverpool, and if they can finish the season the way they are, that means they deserve it. win completely, but there are so many games to play that anything can happen.”
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In those more challenging moments, I ask “do you have a network of people outside of your training team that you can call?”
Given that Maresca played for 11 different clubs in four different countries under Carlo Ancelotti and Marcello Lippi and of course alongside Pep Guardiola, you can only imagine the names and numbers stored in his contacts, so the answer is surprising.
“My four children,” he says.
“I don’t think you can be more honest than your children,” I add. “But really, no one else?”
“No, I don’t have any”, replies Maresca. “I have the coaching staff with me, trying to help each other and then I don’t have anyone outside the club, or outside the coaching staff,” he admits.
There is clearly an unwavering belief in what he is doing. You don’t need anyone else, I ask.
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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca explains the club’s reasoning behind the withdrawal of defender Trevor Chalobah from Crystal Palace.
“Not at the moment, hopefully not in the future, but at the moment I’m fine. I spend almost my whole day here, from 7 to 7 in the afternoon I go home to my four children and my wife and I try to recover some energy” .
“So come on then,” I ask, “what’s the best thing one of your kids has said to you in the last few weeks? Something like. ‘Dad, when are you going to start scoring?'” I joke.
“The good thing is that now they are understanding,” says Maresca. “The oldest is 11, so sometimes he asks me about some changes, I say, already the press asks me, already the fans ask me, now my children also ask about changes.
“You can’t love your daddy and not worry? OK, OK, OK, I love you daddy?”
If only it were always so easy to laugh.
There is a softness and a warmth behind Maresca, but the overriding feeling talking to him is one of intensity and real steel – not a surprise when you consider Guardiola’s influence on his coaching career.
He has already shown in his short time at Chelsea that he can sometimes make unpopular decisions. He disputes the description of “brutal”, more “honest”, he says.
“I think if you’re honest with the players, if you’re open, if they can see that you’re real and you’re not fake, I think that’s the best way. And since we started, since day one, I try to be open with them, I try to be honest with them, and I think they can see that.
“I hope they appreciate it. I try to be close to the players, because I think the way I like to be close to the players and then, as I said, to be honest to succeed.”
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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca discusses Renato Veiga transfer rumors and the realities of playing time at a young age
The team can never be in doubt about where they are and where they need to be – and that is the focus now, although Maresca admits that January is difficult for some players.
One player who has set those standards and certainly isn’t going anywhere for some time is Cole Palmer. A doubt for Monday’s game with Wolves after picking up a knock against Bournemouth, Palmer has been phenomenal this season. His opener in Tuesday night’s game was another to add to the incredible finishes he has to his name in a Chelsea shirt.
Palmer has signed a nine-year contract, which was very strong at the time and perhaps until news of the Erling Haaland contract deal broke shortly before our interview. Two Premier League poster boys, two players Maresca has had the privilege of working closely with – but who could turn out to be their club’s greatest legends if we look back in a decade.
“It’s so complicated,” Maresca replies. “It is something almost impossible. First of all, because you can imagine the future a little, but in the end you don’t know, many things can happen.
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After signing a brand new contract with Premier League champions Manchester City, we take a look at Erling Haaland’s best ever goals from his time in the English league.
“The thing is, this type of club like City, like Chelsea, they try to protect or keep the best player as long as they can. The good thing is that they are both good players and they will be there for a long time and we can enjoy them.”
There is an argument that Palmer’s skills give his team more than perhaps Haaland. Maresca smiles: “We are happy with the way he is doing, but as we said from the start, it is not correct to rely on Cole for everything. He is helping us, but we also have more players who are doing well and that it’s important.”
These players may get their chance on Monday and if they can take it then the color of the month could start to change for the Chelsea manager.
Watch Chelsea vs Wolves live on Monday Night Football from 6.30pm on Sky Sports Premier League, kick-off 8pm.
