Maresca To Bring Fresh Success To Chelsea, Says Dewsbury-Hall

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall believes Chelsea's new manager, Enzo Maresca, will surprise many this season. The Italian coach led Leicester City back to the Premier League as Championship winners in his only season and now takes over from Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge.

Leicester City topped the Championship table with 98 points, with Dewsbury-Hall playing a crucial role by scoring 12 goals and providing 14 assists. His performance earned him both Leicester's Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year awards. Earlier this month, he moved to West London for £30 million and is optimistic about Chelsea's future under Maresca.

"The manager was a big catalyst in wanting me to come," Dewsbury-Hall told BBC Sport. "I knew from Leicester, a club that went down and had a lot of problems, how he managed to galvanise that if everyone manages to buy into the system." He added, "I genuinely think in a short space of time we can be pushing for minimum top four - but more than that."

Chelsea's pre-season began with a 2-2 draw against League One side Wrexham in Maresca's first game. Although Dewsbury-Hall did not play in that match, he is training with the squad in the United States and might feature in their next game against Celtic on Saturday.

The 25-year-old midfielder is confident about Maresca’s tactics being effective soon. "We've only been doing it for two or three weeks, but the combination plays are really quick and tidy," he said. "That's after two weeks." He recalled his experience at Leicester: "Within the first week at Leicester, I was convinced this was top, top level."

Dewsbury-Hall praised Maresca’s ability to teach new things daily. "I felt a bit stupid; I thought I knew a lot about football, but he was teaching me things on a daily basis that I didn't really know before," he admitted. He also noted Maresca’s dual nature: "He has an aura; he can be strict or gentle and soft - he has both sides."

Team Buy-In

The midfielder highlighted the importance of team buy-in for success. "With a system and philosophy, you need everyone to buy in because if they do, you can really achieve something," he said. Dewsbury-Hall mentioned that his teammates have embraced Maresca’s methods from the start: "They've bought into it here from minute one which is exciting."

Dewsbury-Hall remains confident that Chelsea will challenge for trophies soon under Maresca’s guidance. "He may be unknown for a lot of people, but he is top, top level," he stated. "He will surprise a lot of people."

#BluesInTheUSA pic.twitter.com/0cQgEDRuyx — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 25, 2024