Chelsea had chance to hire “unique” manager who’s an upgrade on Maresca

After days of scouting potential successors to Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea have finally shortened their list of candidates.

Whoever is selected will be tasked with the challenge of winning trophies and installing an exciting style of play.

Thomas Frank has been noted as a candidate, but he doesn’t exactly fit that mould, unlike Kieran McKenna and Enzo Maresca, who are also linked.

The latter of the three now seems set to be handed the reins, but another name had emerged who could have the ability to completely transform Chelsea.

Chelsea’s manager hunt ramps up

On Sunday, journalist Ben Jacobs took to X to confirm that Roberto De Zerbi was the fourth manager being considered by Chelsea.

it came following reports last week that he’d actually had an interview with the club about joining the London outfit.

The Italian left his position as Brighton & Hove Albion manager after the clash against Manchester United, and he’s looking for employment instantly.

However, Fabrizio Romano reported that around £8.5m must be paid in compensation to secure the tactical mastermind.

Why De Zerbi would be a better option than Maresca

There’s no two ways about it: Maresca has wowed the Championship this season with his Leicester side that lifted the trophy tallying up an incredible 97 points.

However, it wasn’t just the results that made the Foxes so impressive; it was the fact that they played some unbelievable football along the way.

For context of just how dominant the former Manchester City coaches’ side were, they boasted an average possession of 62% while scoring and conceding an incredible 1.9 and 0.9 per game, respectively.

That said, although the outcome hasn’t exactly been the same this season, De Zerbi and Maresca actually both opt for a very similar approach and philosophy.

As you can see above, the duo both prioritise keeping possession of the ball, which enables them to dominate throughout a game, rather than just spells, opting for a variant of a 4-2-3-1.

It’s of utmost importance that each individual in the team are supremely confident in possession, starting with the goalkeeper, as it’s demanded that risks be taken in the buildup phase.

Yet, there’s one difference between the two, which is that De Zerbi has experience deploying his play style in the Premier League and in Europe, which has also been successful.

Take Brighton’s performance in 2022/23, for example. Under the influence of the former Sassuolo boss, they reached European competition for the first time in the club’s history, entertaining along the way.

This proves that the “unique” 44-year-old, as dubbed by Guardiola, has the potential to become one of the best managers in the Premier League, even though results haven’t gone his way recently.

Overall, it seems that the appointment of Maresca has more risk attached to it, unlike De Zerbi, and given the latter has stuck to his principles throughout the season, it indicates he’s a strong character that’s set out to achieve at Chelsea.