Poyet backs Maresca as long-term Chelsea boss after Club World Cup triumph | OneFootball

Former Chelsea star Gus Poyet believes his old club have finally found a manager they can rely on for years to come in Enzo Maresca.

Maresca enjoyed a dream debut season at Stamford Bridge after arriving from Leicester City, guiding Chelsea to Champions League qualification, the Conference League trophy, and lifting the FIFA Club World Cup. The Italian’s side have also made a strong impression in pre-season, with shrewd activity in the transfer market adding to optimism among fans.

Speaking exclusively to Hayters, courtesy of best online casino, Poyet admitted Chelsea’s recent success on the global stage has given the squad a fresh mentality.

When asked about the club being World Champions, he said: “Well, that’s what they say. I don’t know, they invented a Club World Cup, which was awful in the beginning.

“Nobody was expecting Chelsea to win. Everybody was talking about Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, the Brazilians, then Chelsea went ‘bam, bam, bam, bam’ – see you later. That’s fantastic and put the players in a higher level because you can train well, can play well, can be outstanding technically as a team individually. But when you win trophies it makes you bigger.

“I’m sure it’s going to help Chelsea massively this season, winning in Europe and winning the Club World Cup. So now it’s a different responsibility, but I think Chelsea are better now. So they need to maintain the consistency that they lost last year around October, November.

“I think they’re going to be closer to the to the top. I’m not saying they’re going to win the league, but they’re going to be closer. So now teams are going to play differently as well against Chelsea. So it’s going to be interesting this season.”

Poyet, who starred for Chelsea between 1997 and 2001, believes Maresca’s first campaign in charge has already erased doubts over whether he could succeed at one of Europe’s biggest clubs.

“I think the most important thing for Maresca is that he came after one year with Leicester, there were so many doubts and he proved that he’s a Chelsea coach and he’s a winner. Now I think we’ve got a coach for many, many years and that’s the best part.”

Maresca’s first season saw Chelsea combine attacking flair with tactical discipline, something Poyet knows well from his own playing days at the Bridge. Reflecting on those memories, he painted a vivid picture of the competitive edge Chelsea teams have always had.

“When I was in the tunnel at Chelsea before the game and I looked around me and saw Dennis Wise, Roberto Di Matteo, Dan Petrescu and Gianfranco Zola. I looked at the opposition and said, ‘you’ve got a problem today because we’re going to play. I don’t know about you, but we will play. So you’ve got a problem.’”

With Chelsea now European and World Champions under Maresca, Poyet is convinced the club are heading into a new era of stability and ambition. The challenge for the Italian will be to maintain momentum, shape his star-studded squad into a consistent force, and make sure last season’s successes are the foundation for many more to come.