Enzo Maresca Reflects on First Three Months in Charge at Chelsea

As Enzo Maresca reaches his second international break as Chelsea manager, he reflects on his first three months in charge with satisfaction. Chelsea currently sit fourth in the Premier League, just four points behind the league leaders, having collected 14 out of a possible 21 points. Maresca is pleased with the progress made so far.

Chelsea’s only domestic loss this season came in Maresca’s debut match against Manchester City, a team widely regarded as one of the best in the world. Since then, the Blues have won all three of their away games, with only league leaders Liverpool matching their 100% away record. At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have controlled the majority of their matches, most recently beating Brighton & Hove Albion 4-2, while drawing 1-1 against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest.

The draw with Forest marked Chelsea’s fourth consecutive home game, following a victory over Brighton and midweek wins against Barrow in the Carabao Cup and Gent in the Conference League. Against Forest, Chelsea dominated possession with two-thirds of the ball and outshot their opponents 17 to 10 but were forced to settle for a point.

Reflecting on the season so far, Maresca expressed his contentment: “Yes, I am happy. When we started the season, to think that by the second international break we’d be fourth, with the way the team is playing and learning to handle different kinds of games, I am very happy.”

He added: “We’ve taken 14 points from seven games, which is important, but what matters to me is how we got those points. We’ve adapted to different types of games, both home and away. Against a team like today, who sit back and try to be aggressive, you need to use different strategies. Overall, we’re happy with where we are, but there’s still room for improvement.”

While Chelsea have been flawless on the road with nine points from nine, their home form has yielded five points from a possible 12. After the Forest draw, journalists raised questions about the team’s home performances, but Maresca defended the results, pointing out that they deserved to win both games they drew at home against Forest and Crystal Palace. In contrast, Chelsea’s 1-0 away win against Bournemouth, secured by a late Christopher Nkunku goal, was less convincing in terms of performance.

Maresca explained: “As for why we’ve won more games away than at home, I prefer to focus on analyzing the games. Today, we did everything to win and we deserved to win. Sometimes you just don’t score. Against Palace, it was a similar situation. So there’s no specific reason for the difference in home and away results at the moment.”

He concluded: “We’ve played four games at home in a row, winning three and drawing today. Overall, it was a good point.”