Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has called on Chelsea to give their new manager Enzo Maresca all the time he needs to succeed at the club.
As Enzo Maresca prepares for his first match as a Premier League manager, Guardiola emphasized the importance of patience from the Chelsea owners.
Maresca, who was Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City for two years, played a key role in the club’s historic Treble-winning season.
He then went on to lead Leicester City to the Championship title, solidifying his reputation as a promising coach. Despite comparisons to Guardiola, the City boss insists that Maresca is his own man and has the potential to thrive at Chelsea—if given the time.
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Guardiola’s Message on Chelsea Manager Enzo Maresca: Time Is Crucial for Success
Speaking ahead of the match, Guardiola urged Chelsea’s ownership to break the cycle of short managerial tenures. “My advice is give him time,” Guardiola said.
“If the owners from Chelsea accept my advice, give him time and it will work. All the managers need time. I don’t know if Chelsea is the place to do this, but give him time and he will work. That is my feeling.”
Chelsea have seen a rapid turnover of managers in recent years with Maresca being the fifth to take the helm in just two years under Clearlake Capital’s ownership.
Despite this, Chelsea have also been one of the busiest clubs in the transfer market, bringing in several former City players including Cole Palmer, Raheem Sterling, and Romeo Lavia.
Guardiola noted the depth of Chelsea’s squad, but refrained from commenting on their transfer strategy. “You see the depth of the squad? It’s a lot, but the reason why they do it, it is not my business,” he said. “They can do what they believe is the best for the team. I am pretty sure they do it, but if you see the depth of the squad, they have more than 40 players.”
As City prepare to face Chelsea, they will do so without midfielder Rodri, who is still recovering from a muscle injury. Guardiola also hinted at the possibility of Joao Cancelo staying at City, despite the player’s recent loan spells at Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
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“In training, we say ‘hi’, we talk and train, and that’s all,” Guardiola said about Cancelo. “About what is going to happen here, it depends on his agents and the club and, in the end, if he has to stay, we will treat him like all the other players since I came here, with respect.”
As Maresca takes on the challenge of leading Chelsea, the question remains whether the club’s owners will heed Guardiola’s advice and give him the time to prove his worth.