I owe Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali an apology and it's all because of Enzo Maresca

I'm going to be honest with you. When Chelsea decided to sack Mauricio Pochettino in the summer, I thought it was the wrong decision.

Winning the final six matches of the 2023/24 season, finishing with 19 more points than the campaign before, reaching a Carabao Cup final and bringing European football back to Stamford Bridge, Pochettino did make progress with Chelsea. I do not think there is any denying that.

So when the Blues took the decision to relieve the Argentine of his duties after just one season with the club, it did surprise me. The names that were being linked with the job - Kieran McKenna, Roberto De Zerbi, Thomas Frank and Enzo Maresca. To be honest, none of them really inspired me.

The one I knew least about was Maresca. I had heard very good things from Leicester City supporters and avid watchers of the Championship. However, I was still not sold.

There were of course countless comparisons with Pep Guardiola given the two used to work together at Manchester City. That was always going to be the case, but I always tried to take those comparisons with a pinch of salt.

As always with these things, you try not to pass unfair and hasty judgement. You want to give them the time.

The very first interaction I had with Maresca was in the United States towards the end of July as he conducted his pre-match press conference before Chelsea faced Wrexham in Santa Clara. However, the whole presser was dominated by the Enzo Fernandez situation - meaning we did not really get to know the Italian.

In Atalanta, though, a few journalists were invited to the Chelsea team hotel to speak to Maresca on a more personal level. It was a fascinating interview and one where we really learned how personable, charismatic and obsessed about football Maresca really was. It was an interview that made you root for him.

It is why I take great pleasure in admitting I was wrong by being underwhelmed with the Maresca appointment and the Pochettino sacking, as we approach the end of 2024. Twelve games into the Premier League season, Chelsea are in third place. Yes, third - and a single point behind Manchester City.

Chelsea have scored more goals and conceded fewer than City, last season's champions. The Blues are level on points with Arsenal. A three-horse race for the title, with Liverpool running away with it as it stands, has turned into a four-horse race that nobody expected.

Do Chelsea have what it takes to compete all season-long? Well, that is a conversation for a different day but the fact we are even asking that question - and we're almost in December - is testament to the fabulous job Maresca and his staff have done so far.

This is a young team; a very young team that have been asked to adapt and understand a complex playing style that has been implemented on them in the last five months. There is a real togetherness within the squad now, something that seemed to be lacking last season and the environment Maresca and his staff have created has allowed that.

I started reporting specifically on Chelsea in May 2022 and the last few months have been the quietest in my job thus far. That is not a coincidence.

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