At the top of the glory with Chelsea, winning the Conference League and the World Cup Club, Enzo Maresca is not just a good strategy coach. Behind that success is a philosophy that combines chess, neuropathy, GPS data, drone, and deep understanding of human psychology.
“Sicilia defense” on the pitch
The secret to Maresca's victory over PSG was defined by himself with a concept of chess: defense Sicilia. It is a passive defense approach that is active, creating asymmetrical, transformed countries and leaving the opponent without a fulcrum. That principle he learned from the days when he was still playing in Palermo, when he started studying the chessboard and the flag.
In the graduation thesis in Coverciano, Maresca once wrote: “A coach can learn a lot from the skill of a player: concentration, surprise factor and creative ability.” The match against PSG is a vivid game: Cole Palmer is a mobile vehicle that broke the defensive route, and Joao Pedro is like a statue crossing the defensive roads.
Data science and technology
But Maresca not only “playing chess” on the pitch with ideas. Right from the days in Ascoli, he applied scientific tools to turn the idea into action. Together with Fiorin, he set a play style from the defense with a 4-2-3-1 diagram when defending and turning into 4-2-4 when attacking, a bold approach in Serie B then.
The team is equipped with a GPS and a pacemaker, tracking the training load scientifically. “We also plan to buy drones to film and analyze exercises,” Fiorin said.
Even the central defenders were trained as the first “assists”, a philosophy that Maresca later continued to develop under Guardiola in Manchester City.
Psychology, philosophy and the power of brain
Another important factor in Maresca's way is … brain. He spent hours after practicing to read philosophical books and research on neuroscience. “He develops a system of football: not only technical – tactics but also emotional intelligence and relationship with players,” Fiorin said.
Every morning, Maresca and Fiorin chose an inspirational saying, surrounded by all the content of practice and the meeting. For them, football is also a mental preparation: training the spirit of endurance, fighting spirit and confidence when stepping out. “A player must learn how to choose well, and to do so, he needs to train his mind,” Maresca once said.
Philosophy shaped from failure and learning
The journey to the glory of Maresca does not spread roses. In the fall of 2017, he left Ascoli because of the unstable environment even though the ideas began to form clearly. Fiorin recalled: “The night before he left, we met, very touched. There were things we could not tell each other, even until now.”
Later, Maresca continued the journey to learn: Working with Montella in Sevilla, with Pellegrini in West Ham, with Guardiola in Manchester City, and the first experience as a head coach in Parma. In every step, he gathered more knowledge, tweaking philosophy and waiting for the moment of shine.
With Chelsea, he proved what was once considered … the theory at Ascoli now became a powerful weapon before tactical masters like Luis Enrique. The final against PSG, with a spectacular victory, is not only the victory of a good coach but also for a philosopher on the training seat.
Maresca's story shows that modern football not only needs legs but also a sharp brain, know how to take advantage of science, technology and … chess. With the “Sicilia defense” and the thinking of a player, Maresca turned Chelsea into a chessboard where he was the best player.
