Part 3 End of the Season Review: Maresca
This is a doozy of a question and deserves a more complex answer than it will receive. There were good things and bad things about this year with Maresca.
The Positives:
1. He’s Bald- Yes, this is a real thing many men (and women) suffer from baldness. It can be a scary thing for sure, and many people suffer anxiety over losing their hair. Others embrace the baldness and cut it off! Bald head coaches tend to do better look at Slot and Pep! The source for this is TRUST ME, BRO! If Arteta shaved his head Arsenal would probably start winning trophies!
2. He Didn’t let Sanchez Beat Us- By the end of the season, even Maresca was tired of Sanchez’s shit and started making him kick the ball long (something he threatened to bench Jorgenson for earlier in the year). This is the greatest tactical change in the history of football, source FIGHT ME, BRO!!! Maresca adapted to Sanchez being a dumb ass and guided Chelsea to a top 4 Finish!
3. He Likes Kids (BUT NOT LIKE THAT YOU PERVS!)- He will play youth and this is a good thing. Maresca gave Tyreque George and Josh Archempong their breakthroughs this year. Something that might not have happened under previous managers. If Maresca can keep this up Chelsea fans will continue to praise him!
4. Man Management- He did an amazing job of managing the minutes of Lavia and Reece. He did not rush them back but instead eased them back into the lineup. With the injury history of both this was refreshing to see.
The Negatives:
1. A Stubborn Bastard- Marasca tends to be a tad, like an itty bitty bit stubborn… ok yeah he is as stubborn as a 45-year-old man in his mom's basement playing COD who pees in a bottle and shits his pants all in the name of pawning newbs! Maresca did show more flexibility towards the back half of the season so maybe this is a positive now?
2. Adjustments- Maresca is good at making adjustments, BUT it seems it takes him longer than it should to make the adjustments. There were several instances this year where Chelsea did not have a good first half, but then after halftime, they would be god-level destroyers. Maresca made adjustments at halftime, but if these adjustments could have been made earlier maybe Chelsea would not have had to squeak out a 1-0 victory.
Giving Maresca a rating is an interesting conundrum. On one hand, he did exactly what he set out to do, qualify for the Champions League and Win the Conference League. On the other hand, he did not do it in the sexiest way. In the end, results are all that mattered and that is exactly what Maresca did at the end of the year. Over Rating 3 ice cream cones and 2 pineapples AKA as an A!!!
THE FINAL WHISTLE
Maresca does have some stubborn qualities, but he has proven that he can adjust. The next year will give fans a good look into the future of how long Maresca may last at Chelsea. He will have to manage across two cups, the Premier League, and their return to the Champions League.
If Maresca can manage this correctly and prove himself Chelsea might have finally found a manager that can stick around longer than a couple of years or months. However, if Maresca becomes stubborn and makes adjustments slowly Chelsea might be looking for a new manager sooner rather than later.