Some clubs build around their manager. Eddie Howe is hugely influential at Newcastle and Aston Villa are pretty much Unai Emery FC these days. Chelsea, though, have adopted an alternative model. They have a team of five sporting directors, led by Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, and do not want one person to hold all the power.
Yet the question many are asking in the wake of Enzo Maresca’s demise is whether the template will yield success at the very highest level. It is never quiet at Chelsea. They are often busy in the transfer market, meaning there is an element of players coming and going, and they are now looking for their fifth permanent head coach since a consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, a private equity firm run by Behdad Eghbali and José E Feliciano, bought the club from Roman Abramovich in 2022.
However, accusations that the swift unravelling of Maresca’s tenure proves that Chelsea have become unmanageable and lack the stability to compete for the title are over the top. True, they have a young squad and remain short of experience in some key positions. The idea they have failed, though, is not supported by results. It is worth remembering Arsenal had six years away from the Champions League before returning in 2023, whereas Chelsea only had to deal with a two-year hiatus before they regained a spot in Europe’s top club competition.
Chelsea are champions of the world and it is not so long ago that pundits were talking them up as title contenders. The narrative flips quickly. It is premature for the talk to return to chaos after one rotten month, even if Chelsea have dropped to fifth after one league win in seven games and will have their Under-21s coach, Calum McFarlane, in temporary charge when they visit Manchester City on Sunday.
There is no panic within the club. Chelsea parting company with Maresca will not change the structure. Chelsea tailored their recruitment to suit Maresca’s stylistic demands. The Italian wanted wingers who could hug the touchline, so he was given Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto. He loved Liam Delap, so the striker was bought from Ipswich. This was not the work of a dictatorship. The bigger lesson is that Chelsea cannot accept any employee in a leadership position trying to game their way into greater influence.
Maresca changed, not Chelsea. The answer is clear. Sources felt a shift in the Italian’s demeanour after he outwitted Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final last summer. Insiders say Chelsea were unimpressed when Maresca told them a new improved contract would make him halt flirtations with City, Juventus and a third unnamed club. There was shock at the 45-year-old trying to throw his weight around after 18 months in the job.
It is supposed to be a partnership between club and head coach; everyone pulling in the same direction. On that note, there is an anecdote that reveals much about Chelsea’s thinking. It concerns Winstanley and Stewart being told that one of the metrics on which their work would be judged was whether they were willing to add high-grade individuals to their team. The challenge was to share responsibility. One of the reasons why Winstanley and Stewart are valued as leaders is because they were not afraid to have Joe Shields, Sam Jewell and Dave Fallows working under them.
Maresca was supposed to fit into that structure. But when he talked about his “worst 48 hours” at the club and said he felt a lack of support, it is claimed he was ultimately referring to not being allowed to go against the medical department’s advice on starting certain players. It was not about tactics. Chelsea know it would cross a red line if they were interfering with their manager’s team selection.
It is true that Chelsea, who lack a world-class goalkeeper and ruthless striker, look more like a cup team than one capable of challenging for the title. Yet this is a long-term project. Maresca was never under pressure to win the title this season. Chelsea have been building for future challenges. Time will tell if their model is right. It is too soon to be sure.
But it is reactive to think that Maresca’s fall shows it is time to start over. After all, if Chelsea really were unmanageable they would have sacked Maresca when he barely won a league game from January to March last season. Instead, they assessed the data behind performances, concluded he was moving in the right direction and stuck with him.
At the same time it is fair to wonder whether Chelsea have placed too much faith in the numbers and have overlooked the unquantifiable marginal gains offered by the very best managers. Those coaches are by their nature demanding, difficult and possess raging egos. They want readymade talent and power. They pay their bosses back by giving their teams inspiration in the defining moments.
Yet Chelsea see plenty of cases where a manager having full control has ended badly. They will not budge, but they will keep handing out opportunities to young prospects. If it is to be Liam Rosenior then the 41-year-old will be given time to make it work. He is at Strasbourg, Chelsea’s partner club, and understands the demands.
If he joins he will be working with Reece James, Moisés Caicedo, Cole Palmer and Estêvão Willian. There are worse jobs.
