Enzo Maresca spent much of his playing career in Italy and Spain, including spells at Juventus, Sevilla and Málaga, winning two UEFA Cups with Sevilla. After retiring he moved into coaching and worked as an assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, where he absorbed the positional principles that shape his teams.
As a head coach he made his name at Leicester City, winning the Championship in 2023/24 at the first attempt. Chelsea appointed him that summer, and in 2024/25 he led them to the UEFA Conference League title and Champions League qualification, before winning the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup with a 3-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the final.
Maresca left Chelsea on 1 January 2026. In June 2026 Manchester City appointed him to succeed Guardiola, returning him to the club where his coaching career took shape.
Coaching style
Maresca’s teams are built on control of the ball. Influenced by Pep Guardiola, he uses inverted full-backs, a patient build-up from the goalkeeper and an emphasis on positional structure. His teams often dominate possession, sometimes criticised for being slow, but they rarely lose control of matches. He is known for tactical flexibility within that framework and for trusting young players. At Chelsea he developed several young players into regulars while winning two trophies.
International career
As a player, Maresca represented Italy at youth level but did not win a senior cap. As a coach, his work at Leicester and Chelsea earned him a reputation as one of the leading young tacticians in European football.
