Revealed: Why Enzo Maresca was sacked at former club after 14 games in charge

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Enzo Maresca’s departure from Parma and his potential move to Chelsea have been major talking points recently.

Interestingly, Enzo Maresca was sacked from his role as Parma’s head coach after just six months in 2021 – a tenure marked by underwhelming performances and results that failed to meet expectations.

Following his departure, he returned to Manchester City to work as Pep Guardiola’s assistant, where he further honed his coaching skills​.

Maresca’s coaching career saw a significant turnaround when he took charge of Leicester City, leading them to win the Championship and secure promotion to the Premier League. His success at Leicester has drawn the attention of several top clubs, including Chelsea, who are in search of a new manager following Mauricio Pochettino’s departure​.

Enzo Maresca is set to become Chelsea’s next manager, but Blues fans may be wondering why he was sacked at Parma, after just 14 games.

Parma decided to hand Enzo Maresca his first job in first-team management three years ago, following his impressive work at Manchester City in which he guided their Elite Development Squad to the Premier League 2 title.

However, it ended in disaster with Maresca taking charge of just 14 games, winning four, before he was sacked after six months in the job.

Explaining why he was sacked, Enzo Maresca said: “Managing in Italian football is difficult. But I am sure of one thing, I will be back as a manager one day. My family and I loved Parma. My daughter Maia was even born there. I will carry it forever in my heart.

“I regard my experience as Parma manager as a positive one. By nature, I am a positive person and I take the good out of all my experiences. But I have one regret. I was only starting my managerial adventure when it was ended.

“We were on the right track, the problem was that we had to try and construct a new team and that takes time. We needed to have the patience and strength to believe in something and over time I am certain we would have succeeded.

“We were at 17 points after 13 matches – three points from eighth place and with a completely new team. But listen in football, we all make mistakes and so did I. Parma gave me a three-year contract. And when you accept a multi-year contract it’s because there’s a project idea behind it.

“In those three years, the target was we had to reach Serie A. Nobody ever told me that we should have gone to Serie A in the first season, especially as there were about 15 players arriving at the club.

“But I repeat, we were definitely on the right track. I can’t say why I was fired. Perhaps they thought with the squad we had, we should have been top of the table. I agree… But just not right away. With a little more time and some corrections, we would have got there.

“I had identified three signings in January and I am certain we would have made the play-offs. It’s gone now. I look ahead.”

1 Comment on "Revealed: Why Enzo Maresca was sacked at former club after 14 games in charge"

  1. Ivan Waswa | May 29, 2024 at 12:48 pm |

    Hullo, does the coach has the experience needed in champions league?

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