Enzo Maresca on Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, and Chelsea’s Goals for the upcoming season : Men in Blazers 08/10/25

0:00Rog:You're listening to the Men in Blazers media network, Suboptimal Radio. What I try with Cole is exactly the same when we plan a game. The main focus is always where we can use Cole to help the team to win games and to help himself to be a better player.

0:21Rog:My guest today is the chess grandmaster of Premier League managers, A gent who arrived at Stamford Bridge last summer after almost 12 months of near constant football has won two trophies. He'll now lead his team back into the Champions League wearing a gold club World Cup champions badge on their jerseys after an incredible summer. It's a joy to welcome back Mr Enzo Maresco. Hello Roger. We spoke exactly a year ago. You were just beginning your career at Chelsea. 12 months later, you've led the team to fourth place in the Premier League, back into the Champions League, two shining trophies. If you could go back in time, Enzo, and return to August 2024 and give that Enzo Maresca one piece of advice he'd need to succeed, what would it be?

1:13Many of them. As you said, it's been a fantastic season. For some moments, it's been very difficult. We try to manage all different kind of situation problems. But at the end, the way we finish has been great. When we last spoke, you talked about how the non-stop demands of football are one of the biggest challenges. You just played and won the Club World Cup. But it meant that while Liverpool, Arsenal and the rest have had a full pre-season, Chelsea have had just three weeks off and only just came back to train. Can you describe the kind of impact this strange summer will have on the season ahead and how you've kind of planned to compensate for the Club World Cup?

1:56Roger, this is the question of the moment. We don't have an answer because it's the first time happened. So it's very difficult because you don't know what you expect from the season, you know, because it's something new. So in terms of tiredness or injury or these kind of things, we see. It's a leap into the unknown and it comes after another summer of change. I think two dozen players have come in or left or gone out and loaned. You brought in 19-year-old defender Joret Hato last week. He became the Chelsea's ninth signing of the summer, 49th signing in the past four years. Are there benefits as a manager, as a coach, when you're arriving and so many players are arriving, or does it become difficult to build that culture at a certain point?

2:39To be honest, since I arrived, not many players arrived in terms of last summer, last January and this summer. we tried to change the ones that we thought that we need to change. Yes, in the past, different things happened. But for me, I just, you know, I just judge my time here. Since I arrived, we are trying to do the things that we need to do. So you've had a year to shape it, to slice away what you didn't want, to kind of sand the edges down. What do you see as Chelsea's identity, your Chelsea's team's identity? Our identity, from my point of view, it's quite clear. We try to manage games to keep the ball.

3:20And off the ball, we try to be very aggressive. And I think during last season, Premier League conference and the Club World Cup, we showed that and hopefully we can continue on that and improve.

3:31Rog:Last year, your starting 11 was the youngest in Premier League history. I think I had an average age of 24 years, 36 days. I mean, this is a squad where 26-year-old Totin Adarabio, he's endearingly known as uncle. How do you stay connected to your players who are 18, 19 years old, who are coming up in such a different football world than the one that you did, Enzo? It's because I feel very young inside, so I can manage that. How young do you feel, Enzo? Inside, how young do you feel? In this moment, I feel very old, Roger. No, I think, you know, 18, 19, 20, we are in an era where they are, you know, almost, I'm not saying the same, but almost very similar, the social network and these kind of things.

4:17So you have to adapt. I think we need to adapt to them. And what I try is try to help them to adapt and to be close.

4:28Rog:When I talk about Cole Palmer, what a singular human being. He seems to deliver more magic the higher his socks go on an almost weekly basis. You've known Cole a long time. You were both at Manchester City. You managed him there in the under-23 team. And last season, he had an explosive start. I think it was four goals in his first six games. But he also endured that tough period, that barren spell. He didn't score for a dozen games. How do you understand what happened? Was it fatigue? Was it physical? Was it mental? And how can you prevent it from happening again this campaign? For me, it's all normal.

5:03It's a human being. It can happen. was impossible for him to continue in the same way for 12 months. He already had the previous season where he was top fantastic. With us, I think the first 14 games he scored 10 goals. So the first six months he continued in the same way. So he had, I think, around 18 months where he was fantastic. Then it's normal to drop a little bit. So I was not surprised. The most important thing about Kolda, he has been always very professional, work hard. And then at the end, he finished in the way everyone knows. Last time we spoke, we talked about your thesis, football and chess.

5:40And when I watch Cole Palmer and your team, he does look like the queen on that board. And I'm interested in what you tell him in terms of the difference between letting him run free and just improvise and how much you tactically try and rein him in. I think the way we try to use Cole and all the rest, the idea is always to put them in situations where they can deliver their football in the best way. The way we try to prepare games is to give Cole more time, more space. And so we try to plan games also for, you know, all of them where they can be even better players. What I try with Cole is exactly the same.

6:21And when we plan a game, the main focus is always where we can use goal to help the team to win games and to help himself to be a better player. In July, Chelsea signed that potent striker, João Pedro, from Brighton. And his impact was instant. You can make the case that it was he that turned the Club World Cup campaign around. The two goals against Fluminense, sending you to the final. Were you surprised by how quickly João Pedro had that impact? And what does he allow you to do, Enzo, that you lacked last season? For sure, he gave us quality. in the last third he has lots of quality that previously probably we like a little bit you see the goal he scored against PSG was quality goal was fantastic goal also the goal scored against Fluminense you know it's quality he gave us lots of quality inside the box especially against teams that they are low block we need that quality with the small space and Joao give us that

7:12Rog:I need to ask you quickly about Ester Vau the 18 year old who's been hailed as the single greatest talent to emerge from Brazil since Vinicius Junior We saw that talent in the goal he scored against you for Palmeiras in the quarterfinal of the Club World Cup. What role should we expect from him this season? Roger, we punish him when he arrives because he scored against us. First of all, we're going to try to help him. No rush, no pressure in his time. He needs to adapt. So the most important thing now for him is to arrive here, find house, bring the family, be happy. And then slowly, slowly, he's going to help us for sure.

7:53Rog:You spent a lot of last season making it clear you were not Premier League title challengers. In December, your team were in second place, but you were pointing out that message. These are your words. We are still far off. We're not ready to compete with those clubs, meaning Liverpool and Arsenal. Eight months later, though, Chelsea Football Club are now champions of the world. So what does that mean for this year? What is the goal? Are you far off from a title challenge? could you make the case it's Premier League title or bust? I think one year ago we were very far from the ones that they dominate English football.

8:26And I think that now we are quite close and hopefully we can continue to improve and we can be even more close and try to compete for that.

8:34Rog:But that is the goal this season for you? When you are at Chelsea, the target has to be always win games and titles. This is the minimum required, you know. So we're going to try. You inherited a love of cigars from your dad. I love hearing you talk about this. I think it's Portagas in particular. You've celebrated victory with Pep Guardiola with them. You just celebrated the Club World Cup win with one. If you could share a cigar with anyone in football history, Enzo, who would it be and why? How do you know the cigar I like? Do you know what? I listen to you. When you speak, Enzo, I listen. That's a very good question.

9:15I will tell you, when I was 25, 26, I lost a teammate inside the pitch. So if I could, I would like a cigar with him. What was his name, Enzo? Antonio Puerta.

9:25Rog:To Antonio Puerta's memory, to more celebrations to come. You're a remarkable human being. It's incredible watching you and your tenacious club. To health, to happiness, to success. Thank you, mate. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks to you, Roger. Courage.