Enzo Maresca asks for patience from owners as he begins his Chelsea reign | Chelsea

Enzo Maresca has pleaded with Chelsea’s owners to be given time in the job as the club’s fifth manager of the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital era prepares for his first game in charge on Sunday. The Italian has the daunting task of beginning his reign at Stamford Bridge with a visit from champions Manchester City, although he will at least have some familiar faces in the visitors’ dugout having previously been part of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff at the Etihad Stadium.

Guardiola has backed his friend to succeed where Mauricio Pochettino, Frank Lampard and Graham Potter failed since Thomas Tuchel won the Champions League for Chelsea three years ago. Even Tuchel could not win the support of the club’s owners, with the German sacked less than four months after Chelsea’s win over City in Porto, so Maresca’s pleas for patience may be in vain.

“For me, the big difference between us at the moment and the teams that are dominating English football is a matter of time,” he said. “These clubs have had the same manager for eight or nine years and we have been here for a month. Certainly, with timing we will close the gap and hopefully that can happen very quickly.

“Sometimes it sounds like an excuse. But in the end, in our case, because of the process and the idea, I am 100% sure that this team will get better game after game.”

Maresca also called on Chelsea fans to support him and the team, something his predecessor was often denied. Potter was booed by Chelsea fans within months of his appointment, while Pochettino was humiliated when he heard supporters calling for the return of Jose Mourinho last season.

“We definitely need their support, because when you’re on the pitch and you hear the support, it’s like a 12th player,” Maresca said. “If they support us and are patient, we’ll pay them back with performances and results.

“A good start is always important, whether you are Chelsea or another club. I am quite confident and relaxed about the time, because I see the team getting better.”

Unlike Pochettino last season, Maresca has a largely fit squad, and his biggest problem will likely be calling up too many players rather than too few.

After another remarkable summer in which Chelsea signed nine players – with João Félix or Victor Osimhen as possible successors – the squad has grown to 43 players, leaving sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart to carry out a huge clean-up operation before the transfer window closes on August 30.

Chelsea are still hoping to sell Conor Gallagher, who is training away from the first team with Trevoh Chalobah and Romelu Lukaku after a failed move to Atletico Madrid, and will be unavailable to face City. Ben Chilwell’s future is also uncertain.

Reece James is the only player unavailable through a hamstring injury, although Wolves’ new £60million signing Pedro Neto is likely to start on the bench as he is not fit for the match.