Enzo Maresca officially begins his role as Chelsea’s new head coach in just over two weeks.
The 44-year-old Italian boss has been confirmed as the Blues manager and starts work on 1 July, but you can guess a lot of planning is already going on behind the scenes.
Enzo Maresca succeeded in the Championship last season as Leicester City boss, winning promotion as champions, but it’ll be a new kind of pressure on his shoulders in West London.
He’s inheriting a very talented young group of players, but The Chelsea Chronicle has named the five stars he must build the starting XI around.
Reece James
For starters, Reece James simply must be central to Chelsea’s plans moving forward.
The 24-year-old right-back is the club captain and has proven in the past he can be the catalyst for this team.
When you look at the way Leicester’s right-back Ricardo Pereira inverted infield last season under Maresca’s management, James could be just as influential in that role if Chelsea adapt it.
We’re confident Maresca will see how good James is once he’s worked with him in pre-season.
It’s worth remembering that James is suspended for the opening three games of next season, though.
Levi Colwill
This will probably be the most debatable pick on here, but The Chelsea Chronicle would love to see Levi Colwill become one of the first names on the team sheet.
The 21-year-old centre-back has the potential to be the future in the heart of defence.
It’s going to be important for Maresca to establish a preferred combination at centre-half early into his tenure. We think he’ll find Colwill is best suited and most deserving of a regular spot at the back.
Moises Caicedo
Moises Caicedo ended up being one of the unsung heroes of last season.
The all-action midfielder recovered from a slow start to grow into one of Chelsea’s most instrumental figures.
Surely, the £115m man (Sky Sports) has to be central to a new-look XI under Maresca.
Now he’s found his feet at Stamford Bridge, he’s proving just why Chelsea splashed the cash to bring him from Brighton.
He should keep going from strength to strength as a powerhouse midfielder in the Premier League.
Enzo Fernandez
Similar to above, Maresca can’t really leave a £100m-rated player out of his starting line-up too regularly.
It was a difficult campaign for Enzo Fernandez last year, which ended with him missing the last part because of groin surgery.
The Chelsea Chronicle is convinced that Fernandez has got to be an instrumental figure moving forward.
On paper, Fernandez looks tailor-made for the Maresca style of possession-based football because he’s a superb technician.
The £106.8m star (Sky Sports) needs a key role that allows him to dictate in midfield.
Cole Palmer
Finally, Cole Palmer really does speak for itself.
While many teammates around him struggled last season, Palmer dazzled in his debut year at Chelsea He scored 25 goals and made 15 assists in 40 appearances across all competitions.
Whether he’s playing as a No 10 or a right-winger, the England international impacts games in the forward areas.
It’s important that Maresca picks up where Mauricio Pochettino left out by getting Palmer to play his best football on the pitch.
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