{"id":20964,"date":"2026-07-24T15:03:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T15:03:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=20964"},"modified":"2026-07-24T15:03:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T15:03:28","slug":"i-feel-quite-lucky-enzo-maresca-on-stint-at-chelsea-as-he-takes-over-as-manchester-city-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=20964","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;I feel quite lucky&#8221; &#8211; Enzo Maresca on stint at Chelsea as he takes over as Manchester City coach"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\" data-postid=\"5195819\" data-slug-id=\"2812749\">\n<div class=\"vidazoo-player-container\">\n<span class=\"vidazoo-close-btn  hidden \"><br \/>\n<img data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"close\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Former Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca considers himself fortunate to have managed at the Blues and Leicester City after succeeding the legendary Pep Guardiola as Manchester City&#8217;s next head coach. <\/p>\n<p>Guardiola left at the end of last campaign after a hugely successful 10-season stint at the Etihad. One of the best tacticians ever in the game&#8217;s history, the former Barcelona head coach won 20 titles, including six in the Premier League.<\/p>\n<p><template id=\"template__newsletter-inline-banner-form-combo-widget\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\n<p><img id=\"subscribe-img\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Thanks for the submission!\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<p>The former midfielder also led City to their first continental treble in the 2022-23 season, emulating Manchester United (1998-99) as the only English teams to do so.<\/p>\n<p>Maresca, meanwhile, was at the Stamford Bridge helm for one and a half seasons after succeeding Mauricio Pochettino in the summer of 2024, winning the UEFA Europa Conference League before leaving this January.<\/p>\n<p><template id=\"also-read-articles-template\"><\/p>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<p>On being appointed as the new City boss, Maresca fondly remembered his stints at the Blues and Leicester City, who won the Championship in 2023-24 under the Italian:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;I feel quite lucky in terms of both of my former clubs,&#8221; Maresca said (as per GiveMeSport senior correspondent Ben Jacobs). <\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;At Leicester and Chelsea, we did a great job. The identity was clear. The success was clear. I feel very lucky to have been part of those clubs. But now we are here, and Manchester City is the most important thing. Nothing else to add.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>With the Conference League triumph in 2025, the Blues became the first side to win European club football&#8217;s three major club competitions, having won the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League twice each.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Maresca has agreed a three-year contract with Manchester City as he looks to continue his predecessor&#8217;s success.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h2>How did Chelsea and Manchester City fare last season?<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sk-app-thumbnail\" alt=\"Sunderland vs Chelsea - Premier League - Source: Getty\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/07\/f6b9b-17849023785462-1920.jpg\"\/><img class=\"lazy-img\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" data-img=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/07\/f6b9b-17849023785462-1920.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/07\/f6b9b-17849023785462-1920.jpg?w=190 190w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/07\/f6b9b-17849023785462-1920.jpg?w=720 720w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/07\/f6b9b-17849023785462-1920.jpg?w=640 640w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/07\/f6b9b-17849023785462-1920.jpg?w=1045 1045w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/07\/f6b9b-17849023785462-1920.jpg?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/07\/f6b9b-17849023785462-1920.jpg?w=1460 1460w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/07\/f6b9b-17849023785462-1920.jpg?w=1600 1600w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/07\/f6b9b-17849023785462-1920.jpg 1920w\" alt=\"Sunderland vs Chelsea - Premier League - Source: Getty\" data-img-low=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/07\/f6b9b-17849023785462-1920.jpg?w=640\" bad-src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,&lt;svg%20xmlns=%22http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%201920%201280%22&gt;&lt;\/svg&gt;\"\/><figcaption>Sunderland vs Chelsea &#8211; Premier League &#8211; Source: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Chelsea and Manchester City had contrasting 2025-26 campaigns. While the Blues finished outside the European football places, in 10th, winning only 14 of 38 games, City missed out on the Premier League title to Arsenal.<\/p>\n<p>Pep Guardiola&#8217;s Cityzens eventually finished seven points behind the Gunners, who won their first top-flight title in more than two decades. The Spaniard ended his Etihad stint with silverware, though, winning the EFL Cup and the FA Cup.<\/p>\n<p>The Blues, though, endured a trophyless campaign after Enzo Maresca&#8217;s departure at the start of the year, failing to build on their early-season promise and will be without European football this campaign, a first since 2023-24.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-post-rating-widget\">\n<p><template id=\"post-rating-feedback-modal-template\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-feedback-box\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-content\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-data\">\n<p>Why did you not like this content?<\/p>\n<p><textarea id=\"dislike-feedback-text\" rows=\"4\" placeholder=\"Please type your feedback...\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<button class=\"close\">Cancel<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"submit\">Submit<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-widget-parent hidden\">\n<div class=\"rating-parent-container\">\n<div class=\"rating-content-holder\">\n<p>Was this article helpful?<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-action-container\">\n<div class=\"like-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-like-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"like\" title=\"like article\"><br \/>\n<img class=\"post-like-image post-rating-image\" data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"like selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dislike-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-dislike-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"dislike\" title=\"dislike article\"><br \/>\n<img class=\"post-dis-like-image post-rating-image\" data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"avatar selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Thank You for feedback\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tag-cloud\">\n<div class=\"tags-text\">\n<div class=\"scrollable-content-holder  article-padding\">\n<p class=\"article-p  \">Quick Links<\/p>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerLeft\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Left \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img style=\"background: none;\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-left.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button><\/p>\n<nav id=\"pnProductNav\" class=\"pn-ProductNav\">\n<\/nav>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerRight\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Right \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img style=\"background: none;\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-right.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<p>More from Sportskeeda<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<span class=\"publisher-name\">Edited by Bhargav<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca considers himself fortunate to have managed at the Blues&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20965,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20964\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}