“Brilliant… absolutely outstanding” – Chelsea favourite on Maresca’s “hardest job in the league” | OneFootball

Chelsea are preparing to take on Real Betis in the Conference League final this evening, their last game of the season. That made it a perfect time for Joe Cole and the punditry team on TNT Sports to look back at Enzo Maresca’s impact through the season so far.

Cole on new man Maresca’s impact at Chelsea

Enzo Maresca in a Conference League press conference. (Photo by Eddie Keogh/UEFA)

They were all very positive, with Cole in particular singing the new manager’s praises:

“I said at the start of the season, I think he’s got the hardest job in the Premier League,” Cole said, before explaining why.

“He’s got an expectant crowd, a club used to being at the very top, a huge squad of players that he had to wheel and deal, he had to have some awkward conversations with some players at the club and move them aside, navigate a Conference League campaign, and I think he’s been brilliant.

“There have been a couple of moments where it looks like it’s been going off the rails and he’s brought it back, he’s motivated these players at the right time, and now I think the fans are starting to think ‘things are starting to look rosy again’. In football we know things can go sideways very quickly, but I think for a first season he’s been absolutely outstanding.”

You can see Cole speaking in the clip embedded here:

Maresca survives dark moments to complete solid season

We’ve had our criticisms of Maresca, and we certainly don’t agree with everything he’s done, but there’s no denying that there’s a lot of truth in what Cole says. It was not an easy job to come into, given the context, and a Conference League win plus a Champions League finish in the Premier League is a good return.