Maresca leaves confirmed

[sly1]

Gone at xmas 

[Hammo]

39 minutes ago, whoareyaaa said:

Jumped at the first attempt.

 

lets hope the next manager wants to stay and build a project here.

 

I hope it all goes wrong but I know he will do well with them.

You don’t know that at all. 

[Vacamion]

39 minutes ago, Matt said:

 

 Should they not look at themselves as to the reasons why he “jumped ship at the first opportunity” and “openly courted the job”?

 

As for the long term vision remaining unaffected - firstly and most importantly, get your house in order! Secondly if that means this pathetic vision of playing like Man City, I’m out.

 

The "Vardy will be staying" bullet point is like saying "here, have a lollipop" after you were taken to the doctor's for an injection as a kid.

 

 

[MPH]

9 minutes ago, RYM said:

Perfectly normal to brief the press first to get them onside. You’re giving those selected exclusive news and asking them to back you up. Thats good from the club but very immature that we sound so salty in our official statement. Let the press stir that up.

Seems a bit of a pre-emptive strike  before anyone get a chance to dish the dirt on the lies the club sold to him..

[KingsX]

Glad to see Enzo learned so much from his first gig in Parma ...

 

 

Clearly he's desperate to get back to making sense of a grab-bag squad grabbed by the dozen by clueless Yank owners.

 

Should be a match made in heaven.  What could go wrong?

[whoareyaaa]

Just now, Hammo said:

You don’t know that at all. 

Sorry, I THINK.

[Foxin_Mad]

I think the clubs statement is perfectly reasonable.

 

They gave a guy a chance, backed him with a decent budget, stuck by him during a run of relegation form and quite frankly abysmal football. 

 

They have every right to be disappointed. 

 

Do we wish him well? No, hes at a competitior. I hope we smash grab counter a low block double against them next season after they have 99% pocession. 

[SouthStandUpperTier]

 

21 minutes ago, when_you're_smiling said:

Wonder if they’re trying to get ahead of more Balague bollocks.

'A next step to the elite' - inside Maresca's move to Chelsea

 

 

 

It's official. Enzo Maresca is the new Chelsea manager.

 

Just weeks after guiding Leicester City back to the Premier League, the Italian has quit after one season and opted to take on what many see as a poisoned chalice.

 

The 44-year-old will become the fifth Blues boss since the start of 2022-23, and a seventh permanent boss in five years.

 

His predecessor Mauricio Pochettino lost his job - albeit by mutual consent - at the end of the season despite guiding Chelsea to sixth in the Premier League, back into European football and to a domestic cup final.

 

So, why has Maresca turned his back on the Foxes for a club who splashed an incredible £747m on transfers during the 2022-23 campaign and have lurched from crisis to crisis in the recent past?

Issues looming for the Foxes

As genuine as Maresca's joy was at taking Leicester City straight back to the top flight at the first time of asking, the euphoria created by promotion could not disguise the fact that not everything was well at the club.

 

Leicester's possible Financial Fair Play (FFP) issues were something he only became aware of after the season had started.

 

That, coupled with a highly unsatisfactory January transfer window involving two deals in particular, also created conflict at Leicester.

 

Cesare Casadei was very much part of Maresca's plans after signing on loan - coincidentally, from Chelsea - at the start of the season. Then Chelsea recalled him in the winter window.

 

Stefano Sensi, from Inter Milan, had come to the UK to help complete the deal once the two clubs had negotiated a fee for the player. Suddenly everything fell apart over concerns surrounding the club's FFP standing.

 

Maresca kept his counsel and soldiered on but to say he was unimpressed on both occasions would be an understatement.

 

But to say that disillusionment with the club is the defining reason for his swapping the blue of Leicester to that of Chelsea is wide of the mark.

Aiming for a top-four finish

The reality is that when you receive offers from two former Champions League-winning sides - Chelsea and Porto - your profile in a competitive market becomes clear. And it is clear too why Maresca has been chosen to make improvements at a potentially top club like Chelsea.

 

That is probably being a bit unfair to Pochettino, because he has left the club in a considerably better, far more stable place than he found it 12 months ago.

 

Pochettino, though, is the type of coach who has to believe he is in the right place, where he feels respected as he co-exists in an atmosphere of happiness and harmony - and he felt none of those things at Stamford Bridge.

 

Ironically, Maresca is also that kind of manager, someone who needs to feel empathy and the understanding of his paymasters.

 

Bearing that in mind, his main worry about accepting the job will be taking on board Pochettino's reasons for leaving, namely the excessive interference and influence exerted by the owners, which many believe hampers the work done by the coaches.

 

He could have called Pochettino to ask for his input.

 

But Maresca has been told the right things, sent the right messages and been reassured that at Chelsea he will be supported and surrounded by enough elite people that can work alongside him, to guarantee the club can achieve their first major aim of a top-four finish.

What will he find at Chelsea?

He will find a young team, one disappointed with the departure of Pochettino, who many felt was just starting to get it right.

 

But he shouldn't have too much of a problem selling his type of game to his new players, a style which isn't dissimilar from Pochettino's: high tempo, pressure high up the pitch, possession.

 

This time - with the greatest respect to the Leicester squad - he will be able to apply it with players better than the ones he had at King Power Stadium.

 

To do that, he will have to stamp his authority and continue the progress in the culture of the club started by Pochettino, not just within the camp but also with everyone around it as well, very much like he did at Leicester.

 

Maresca won't initially be looking for a club that wins absolutely everything but rather one that gives him stability and allows him to put his ideology into practice.

 

For the majority of Leicester fans, there will be disappointment.

 

But Maresca, despite the title-winning euphoria, always believed the main aim for this Leicester side in the coming season would be avoiding relegation.

 

The Chelsea fans will take to him and to his style of play. They will find him an interesting guy, a man of depth who might come over a little reserved at the beginning but who will soon convince the fans.

 

His wife Maria and their four children will be happy to be staying in England, although they would have preferred to remain in Leicester, where they have settled very well.

 

When offers like this come in, though, they also know that they can't really be turned down.

 

Ultimately, his decision to leave Leicester has nothing to do with the negativity he received from some of the fans in the past about the style of football.

 

Rather, it is because a club of a higher calibre has given him the chance to get close to the elite - where he belonged as a player and to where he quite rightly aspires to be as a coach.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cv22ed022j5o

 

 

Edited 3 June by SouthStandUpperTier

[Foxin_Mad]

3 minutes ago, Vacamion said:

 

The "Vardy will be staying" bullet point is like saying "here, have a lollipop" after you were taken to the doctor's for an injection as a kid.

 

 

I think we should adopt the Chat Shit get banged philosphy of football, Vardy player manager! 

[Ric Flair]

When did Roberto Vitiello join our club? I swear he was prevented in doing so last summer?

[ealingfox]

Bye cvnt!

[CosbehFox]

9 minutes ago, ClaphamFox said:

if that's the case, does it mean we won't get the compensation until after the new accounting period begins (which won't help much with our efforts to avoid breaching for the current period)...?

Unsure. Merely a suggestion from myself why Chelsea need to make it clear he's working from 1st June - could be accounting for wage purposes too. 

[RYM]

4 minutes ago, MPH said:

Seems a bit of a pre-emptive strike  before anyone get a chance to dish the dirt on the lies the club sold to him..

Yeah there is that too. It’s normal though. I’ve done it before with press and big news and then other stuff with fans when you launch a new kit, sell a best player etc. Get the first few comments on socials to be super positive and then it puts those that are critical on the back foot a bit. 

[Mister Singh]

Farewell you bold beautiful bar steward.

[fazzyfox]

58 minutes ago, Tuna said:

 

[when_you're_smiling]

6 minutes ago, SouthStandUpperTier said:

 

'A next step to the elite' - inside Maresca's move to Chelsea

 

To be fair to the club as well. It is mad that the BBC just happily print PR for someone.

[ealingfox]

7 minutes ago, SouthStandUpperTier said:

Issues looming for the Foxes

As genuine as Maresca's joy was at taking Leicester City straight back to the top flight at the first time of asking, the euphoria created by promotion could not disguise the fact that not everything was well at the club.

 

Leicester's possible Financial Fair Play (FFP) issues were something he only became aware of after the season had started.

 

That, coupled with a highly unsatisfactory January transfer window involving two deals in particular, also created conflict at Leicester.

 

Cesare Casadei was very much part of Maresca's plans after signing on loan - coincidentally, from Chelsea - at the start of the season. Then Chelsea recalled him in the winter window.

 

Stefano Sensi, from Inter Milan, had come to the UK to help complete the deal once the two clubs had negotiated a fee for the player. Suddenly everything fell apart over concerns surrounding the club's FFP standing.

 

Maresca kept his counsel and soldiered on but to say he was unimpressed on both occasions would be an understatement.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cv22ed022j5o

 

 

How is the Casadei thing our fault ffs

[Bob Weasel Fox]

58 minutes ago, Nolucklcfc said:

Maybe if they had been honest with him from the start, he would have stayed … 

Absolutely no chance - he would of jumped ship to Chelsea anyway 

[DerbyshireFox]

Glad it is finally done. Disappointed he’s made noises about staying and then decided to move on. At the end of the day that’s football unfortunately, and in the real world, nobody would bat an eyelid at moving on to a more ‘prestigious’ role. I actually think he’ll do well there with technically better players overall and a much stronger squad. I’m more concerned where it leaves us than Chelsea.

 

The obsession with ‘progressive possession football’ would indicate it won’t be someone like Moyes. However in the situation we find ourselves in, my preference would be an experienced manager/coach, that will make us hard to beat, and knows how to grind out points. Doesn’t have to be pretty football for me, the most important thing is to keep us up and build the foundations going forward. It’s certainly never dull supporting this club!!

[AKCJ]

10 minutes ago, SouthStandUpperTier said:

 

'A next step to the elite' - inside Maresca's move to Chelsea

 

 

 

It's official. Enzo Maresca is the new Chelsea manager.

 

Just weeks after guiding Leicester City back to the Premier League, the Italian has quit after one season and opted to take on what many see as a poisoned chalice.

 

The 44-year-old will become the fifth Blues boss since the start of 2022-23, and a seventh permanent boss in five years.

 

His predecessor Mauricio Pochettino lost his job - albeit by mutual consent - at the end of the season despite guiding Chelsea to sixth in the Premier League, back into European football and to a domestic cup final.

 

So, why has Maresca turned his back on the Foxes for a club who splashed an incredible £747m on transfers during the 2022-23 campaign and have lurched from crisis to crisis in the recent past?

Issues looming for the Foxes

As genuine as Maresca's joy was at taking Leicester City straight back to the top flight at the first time of asking, the euphoria created by promotion could not disguise the fact that not everything was well at the club.

 

Leicester's possible Financial Fair Play (FFP) issues were something he only became aware of after the season had started.

 

That, coupled with a highly unsatisfactory January transfer window involving two deals in particular, also created conflict at Leicester.

 

Cesare Casadei was very much part of Maresca's plans after signing on loan - coincidentally, from Chelsea - at the start of the season. Then Chelsea recalled him in the winter window.

 

Stefano Sensi, from Inter Milan, had come to the UK to help complete the deal once the two clubs had negotiated a fee for the player. Suddenly everything fell apart over concerns surrounding the club's FFP standing.

 

Maresca kept his counsel and soldiered on but to say he was unimpressed on both occasions would be an understatement.

 

But to say that disillusionment with the club is the defining reason for his swapping the blue of Leicester to that of Chelsea is wide of the mark.

Aiming for a top-four finish

The reality is that when you receive offers from two former Champions League-winning sides - Chelsea and Porto - your profile in a competitive market becomes clear. And it is clear too why Maresca has been chosen to make improvements at a potentially top club like Chelsea.

 

That is probably being a bit unfair to Pochettino, because he has left the club in a considerably better, far more stable place than he found it 12 months ago.

 

Pochettino, though, is the type of coach who has to believe he is in the right place, where he feels respected as he co-exists in an atmosphere of happiness and harmony - and he felt none of those things at Stamford Bridge.

 

Ironically, Maresca is also that kind of manager, someone who needs to feel empathy and the understanding of his paymasters.

 

Bearing that in mind, his main worry about accepting the job will be taking on board Pochettino's reasons for leaving, namely the excessive interference and influence exerted by the owners, which many believe hampers the work done by the coaches.

 

He could have called Pochettino to ask for his input.

 

But Maresca has been told the right things, sent the right messages and been reassured that at Chelsea he will be supported and surrounded by enough elite people that can work alongside him, to guarantee the club can achieve their first major aim of a top-four finish.

What will he find at Chelsea?

He will find a young team, one disappointed with the departure of Pochettino, who many felt was just starting to get it right.

 

But he shouldn't have too much of a problem selling his type of game to his new players, a style which isn't dissimilar from Pochettino's: high tempo, pressure high up the pitch, possession.

 

This time - with the greatest respect to the Leicester squad - he will be able to apply it with players better than the ones he had at King Power Stadium.

 

To do that, he will have to stamp his authority and continue the progress in the culture of the club started by Pochettino, not just within the camp but also with everyone around it as well, very much like he did at Leicester.

 

Maresca won't initially be looking for a club that wins absolutely everything but rather one that gives him stability and allows him to put his ideology into practice.

 

For the majority of Leicester fans, there will be disappointment.

 

But Maresca, despite the title-winning euphoria, always believed the main aim for this Leicester side in the coming season would be avoiding relegation.

 

The Chelsea fans will take to him and to his style of play. They will find him an interesting guy, a man of depth who might come over a little reserved at the beginning but who will soon convince the fans.

 

His wife Maria and their four children will be happy to be staying in England, although they would have preferred to remain in Leicester, where they have settled very well.

 

When offers like this come in, though, they also know that they can't really be turned down.

 

Ultimately, his decision to leave Leicester has nothing to do with the negativity he received from some of the fans in the past about the style of football.

 

Rather, it is because a club of a higher calibre has given him the chance to get close to the elite - where he belonged as a player and to where he quite rightly aspires to be as a coach.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cv22ed022j5o

 

 

This will piss people off but he says absolutely nothing controversial in that.  Don't really get the Balague hate myself.  

[AKCJ]

2 minutes ago, ealingfox said:

 

How is the Casadei thing our fault ffs

he doesn't claim it was our fault.

 

The issue was clearly that we lost an important player and then cocked up his replacement.

[Foxin_Mad]

Just now, Bob Weasel Fox said:

Absolutely no chance - he would of jumped ship to Chelsea anyway 

He clearly thinks he is 'elite'

 

I guess time will tell.

 

Some of his football was good to watch but at times it was unbearable. 

 

Maybe better players will bridge that gap, maybe they wont. 

 

One thing he could do with adding to his 'elite coaching team' is a striker coach, our strikers went from bad to worse throuughout the season. Some of our shooting at goal was atrocious, allmost like we were really sure what it was. We absolutely must be better at converting chances in future. 

[Hammo]

I don’t blame him for leaving. It’s a big opportunity and an offer he couldn’t really refuse. And we get a decent payoff.

 

But am I deflated by his departure? Not a bit. It wasn’t the style of his football that frustrated me so much as his inflexibility and chronic inability to think outside the box when his “idea” was malfunctioning against mediocre opponents.

 

And do I wish him well? No, why should I? His team are in the same division as ours. They are rivals - and there is nothing that would please me more than beating Chelsea next season.

 

No one knows how he will get on at Stamford Bridge but this time next year Chelsea will be one of 32 teams playing in the new expanded FIFA World Club Cup in the USA. If he is still in charge for that, he’ll have done well. But this is Chelsea we’re talking about, and for that reason it’s just as likely as not that he won’t be.

[ealingfox]

2 minutes ago, AKCJ said:

he doesn't claim it was our fault.

 

The issue was clearly that we lost an important player and then cocked up his replacement.

 

Maresca kept his counsel and soldiered on but to say he was unimpressed on both occasions would be an understatement.

 

The use of the word unimpressed clearly implies it.

[gurru991]

Firstly the ten  million plus we are getting from Chelsea will come in handy with our FFP problems. Secondly I'm convinced that the Pep/Enzo possession requires top quality players to make it work & I believe we were going to our Ass kicked in the Premier because Enzo is too stubborn to change.

I'm happy that he got us back to the Premier but I'm not sorry to see him go. !!