Enzo Maresca sends simple three-word message Chelsea fans will love ahead of Newcastle clash
Enzo Maresca has made quite the impression on Chelsea supporters since being appointed head coach in the summer.
The Italian, who replaced Mauricio Pochettino following the Argentine's departure at the end of last season, has won eight out of his 13 competitive games in charge of the Blues. Not only that, but Maresca has managed to achieve those results while implementing a complex style of football onto a young group of players.
It has led to some brilliant performances and equally impressive results thus far. Maresca, though, is a perfectionist - and no matter how his team perform, he always wants more. He demands that from his players and also himself.
Now, the Chelsea head coach has posted a picture on Instagram of himself on the plane back from Greece, working on his laptop. The photo was captioned: "Work never stops".
The photo was uploaded on his Instagram page around 36 hours after Chelsea cruised to a 4-1 victory over Panathinaikos in Athens. It was a relatively straightforward night for the Blues in Greece but it had the credentials to be anything but that, with an extremely hostile atmosphere at the Athens Olympic Stadium.
Many predicted such an atmosphere would have an affect on the Chelsea squad, especially because the XI was made up of mostly fringe players. However, the Blues passed the test in the Greek capital with flying colours - cruising to victory ahead of this weekend's match with Newcastle United in the Premier League.
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While there has been clear improvement at Chelsea compared to what we witnessed last season, Maresca realises there is such a long way to go until his team are able to compete right at the top of the league table. The Italian has cited the success of Manchester City and Arsenal, who have both had Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta leading the club for eight and five years, respectively.
"I really do not think we can compete with City or Arsenal," Maresca said earlier this month. "I really don't think that because we are not ready.
"The reason is that City has worked with the same manager for eight years and Arsenal for five years. If you want to compete for big things you need that time.
"After Arsenal beat PSG they asked Luis Enrique and he said the same thing that Arsenal have had the same manager for five years and them only a year and a half. Imagine us, only three months... so it's a huge difference. So I am really convinced we cannot compete with those clubs."
However, two of Chelsea's strongest performances this season have come up against two of last term's top three in the Premier League table - Liverpool and Manchester City. Incidentally, they are both of the Blues' defeats in the top-flight this season, but they are games where Chelsea have shown they can go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the division.
Chelsea's plan has always been to give Maresca the time he needs to succeed at the club, football.london understands. The Blues want this time to be different to what we have seen previously under this ownership with the likes of Graham Potter and Pochettino. And Maresca's start to life in west London means this is about the happiest and most stable the club has been under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.