Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany has joined the growing list of admirers of Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea, praising the Blues for their incredible transformation in just one season.
Speaking to TNT Sports ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League clash with Bayern, the former Manchester City captain was full of respect for what Maresca has achieved at Stamford Bridge.
“I think Enzo’s done a terrific job,” Kompany said. “You always have to look back at what a team was like when the manager started and the question marks around the squad and the playing group.
“Of course, you invest because you expect results but at the end, it is what it is, it’s a young team. It’s a lot of talented players that had to come together and for them to be able to do it, it’s been a remarkable job.”
Chelsea’s Club World Cup triumph seems to have convinced even rivals that the Blues are back among the very best. Kompany admitted that the gap between Chelsea and the traditional elite of English football has all but disappeared under Maresca’s leadership.
“When you look at Chelsea now, especially after the Club World Cup, I don’t think you make too much distinction between Chelsea and the absolute top teams in England, so they’re back there,” Kompany explained.
For Kompany, the most exciting aspect of this Chelsea side is not just what they’ve achieved so far, but the potential of a squad built around youth and hunger.
“The advantage you have with young players is that where they are today, tomorrow they’ll always be better. If they’ve got good habits, if they’ve got a good environment, that’s what happens with a top mindset.
“I think that’s the hidden strength of Chelsea, they’ve got a team that’s on a pathway that will keep going up. We’ve got the advantage, of course, of being at home and having a team with experience,” he concluded.
Maresca’s Chelsea may still be a work in progress, but if rivals like Kompany are already recognising the Blues as equals to the very best, it shows just how far the team has come in such a short space of time. Chelsea fans can be confident that the journey under Enzo Maresca is only just beginning.