I saw Enzo Maresca do something he's never done before at Chelsea and it worked

Cole Palmer has made it a habit of writing his own headlines now, and every other weekend, fans come to Stamford Bridge to be entertained. Every single thing he does is just exceptional—his body language, the way he communicates with his teammates through his movements, and even what he doesn’t say.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca deserves credit for the way he’s been able to solve so many complex situations so quickly and transform a group of talented young players into a group of winners.

This win was no small achievement, as Newcastle were physical and fought hard, but Maresca has transformed this team, with Cole Palmer turning Stamford Bridge into an entertaining arena. Here are a few things I observed while sitting behind the Chelsea manager:

Reece James takes criticism positively

Reece James enjoyed one of his best games for Chelsea, with two goal-line clearances. He was impregnable and battled well on and off the ball. James is a physical player, and he thrives on the contact he gets from forwards. Against Newcastle, he was playing at left-back, but not even that could dull his ability.

One of the best things he did was how vocal he was on the pitch. Ahead of the game, Maresca had stressed the importance of an imposing captain, and even though James was not shouting at everything and everyone, he was keen on communicating effectively.

He’d call Fofana into position every now and then, and when he made a goal-line headed clearance, he took the applause from Sanchez, Colwill, and Fofana but was quick to remind them that the game had not been won yet, and he needed them to remain focused.

It would have been easy for him to sulk, but his performance and attitude throughout the game suggested he’s taken everything on and wants to be better.

Maresca's fury is Infectious

This was the most animated Maresca had been on the touchline, and most of it was due to his frustration with referee Simon Hooper, who was driving Chelsea fans up the wall. Maresca was so upset at some point that he smashed his seat in anger, and it was no surprise when he was shown a yellow card.

Unlike typical complaints, Maresca has found a way to channel his fury into his squad, and the Chelsea players just seemed to know how to respond as they played well every time their manager got a point across to them.

I have never seen him so animated and upset on a touchline, but it worked, as Chelsea secured all three points on the day.

Tosin and Veiga are the ultimate teammates

Few players can rally the team when times are tough like Tosin. He’s always encouraging and pushing players on, but one thing he and Veiga did that was especially nice to see was that when VAR disallowed Cole Palmer’s first goal for offside, they were the first two players on the bench to clap for the team, urging them to keep going and not drop their heads.

It would have been easy for the players to get discouraged, as the goal was well-taken, and the offside decision was marginal. But Tosin and Veiga were the first to encourage the team, which again showed the kind of spirit Maresca is building.

Maresca supports Sanchez so well

It’s admirable how Enzo Maresca supports Sanchez when he gets a kick right. One of the criticisms of Robert Sanchez is his footwork. He’s a brilliant shot-stopper, and he will win Chelsea points with good saves, but there might be games where his footwork could get him in trouble.

Against Newcastle, especially in the first half, he gave the ball away a lot, but one thing his manager kept doing every time he interacted with him was giving him a thumbs-up to encourage him to keep going.

Small details like that can make a massive difference in the grand scheme of things, and in the end, Sanchez was confident enough to come for crosses and help keep Newcastle at bay.

It’s worth adding that the Chelsea manager made a bold call by leaving Enzo Fernandez on the bench, and his decision to start Romeo Lavia paid off, with Lavia dominating the midfield and forming a formidable partnership with the impressive Cole Palmer.