Chelsea legend Gus Poyet has highlighted the key factors behind Enzo Maresca’s success as Chelsea manager, citing the players’ growing maturity and the lack of injuries this season.
Maresca, who took over at Stamford Bridge in the summer, replaced Mauricio Pochettino and has guided the Blues to an impressive start in the 2024-25 campaign. Under his leadership, Chelsea has recorded 11 wins and only four defeats in 19 matches across all competitions.
Poyet told *ChelseaNews.com*, “I think the important thing here is that all these players that we’re talking about… they’re playing regularly now. Two years ago, they were very, very young. They didn’t know the Premier League. They were coming into a different kind of lifestyle.”
He added, “We knew that most of them – not all – I would say 75% of them or 80% of them – two years later – they will be better.”
Poyet also mentioned that Maresca’s arrival came at a more favorable time compared to Graham Potter’s and Mauricio Pochettino’s tenures, which were hindered by a large squad and frequent injuries.
“The timing of the arrival for Maresca at Chelsea is better than the timing when Graham Potter got the job and especially Mauricio Pochettino,” Poyet said. “That didn’t happen in the last two years because of the quantity of players and injuries. And also because when you get the momentum, the players get confident and they start playing better. The competition now is clear.”
Maresca’s ability to foster growth in Chelsea’s young players and maintain a relatively injury-free squad has been pivotal in their strong season so far.
