Chelsea Legend Frank Lampard Backs Enzo Maresca to Succeed

Former Chelsea player and manager Frank Lampard has emphasized the importance of giving Enzo Maresca the opportunity “to do his work” and thoroughly evaluate the squad.

Maresca’s appointment as Chelsea’s new manager came as a surprise following Mauricio Pochettino’s departure last month after just one season in charge. The 44-year-old Italian, who recently led Leicester City to the Championship title, has signed a five-year contract at Stamford Bridge.

Lampard Advocates Patience for Maresca

Maresca faces immediate pressure to win trophies and secure a Champions League spot after Chelsea missed out last season. Despite an improvement from their disappointing 12th-place finish in the 2022/2023 campaign, securing a top-six finish and a return to European competition, Chelsea still has ground to cover to compete with Manchester City and Arsenal at the Premier League’s summit.

Lampard, a club legend familiar with Chelsea’s high expectations, insists that Maresca needs time to “do his work.”

“It was good to see a positive end to the season,” Lampard told talkSPORT. “I was there at the back-end of the previous season and I knew it was going to be a tough build and a tough ask because of where the club was at and the distance now to the top clubs.

“And I think there’s still a gap, so you need to be patient and give the new manager the chance to do his work, assess the squad, and maybe affect the squad and bring players in.

“We’ll see how they go next year, but they definitely finished on a positive note which was good to see. We’ll see what happens at the start of the season now.”

Maresca will have his first opportunity to evaluate his new players during the club’s pre-season tour of America in late July, with the Blues set to face Wrexham, Club America, Celtic, Manchester City, and Real Madrid.