Some of Enzo Maresca’s fondest memories of his time at Manchester City were his ringside seat during the matches between Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp. At Anfield on Wednesday night he will be the man looking to outwit Liverpool’s German boss.
He’s been at Leicester for just three months, but Maresca’s first managerial job in English football couldn’t have gone much better. Picking up a club that had suffered a shock relegation from the Premier League was never going to be easy and although tougher times lie ahead, Maresca has put Leicester top of the Championship after winning seven of their first eight games.
“The mood wasn’t good when I arrived in June,” recalls Maresca, who left his job as part of Guardiola’s coaching staff to take up the top job at Leicester – six days after City completed the Treble by beating Inter Milan defeat in the Champions League final. .
‘Many players left and those who stayed had just been relegated, so the mood was certainly not perfect. It was about focusing on training, the way we were going to play – that was my only concern.”
Maresca said in his first media appearances that he had not been given the specific task of immediate promotion, but this was certainly just a way to take the pressure off himself and his players. Because even though those words have not been spoken directly, Leicester’s owners expect to be back in the Premier League next season and Maresca has been hired to make exactly that happen. No one knows that better than him.
Enzo Maresca’s Leicester are top of the Championship ahead of Wednesday’s match at Anfield
The in-form Foxes take on Liverpool (above) in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening
Maresca has restored a feel-good factor to King Power after Leicester’s relegation last season
He has been decisive from the start. Last summer, the saga of Wesley Fofana’s move to Chelsea disrupted the Foxes’ preparations and Maresca made it clear he did not want a repeat with James Maddison or Harvey Barnes. Sure enough, Maddison joined Tottenham on June 29 for £40 million, while Barnes moved to Newcastle for £38 million on July 24.
The Italian, who played for Juventus and Sevilla without ever winning a senior international cap, is a self-confessed disciple of Guardiola and is determined to use his mentor’s ideas in the Championship. This could have ended badly, but in the first week of preparation the players delivered glowing messages about their new boss.
The training usually lasts about an hour, followed by a match of up to 11 versus 11. Players quickly noticed that the exercises Maresca had performed during the session would prove useful in the practice match. Sometimes training can feel abstract or even pointless. Until now, this has never been the case at Maresca.
One of the most delicate challenges for any Leicester manager is dealing with Jamie Vardy, undoubtedly the greatest player in the club’s history. At 36, Vardy is being asked to fulfill a new role: instead of staying close to his marker and rushing into space waiting for a pass, Vardy must now dive deep and link the play.
Maresca (not pictured) previously had ringside seats at the sideline battles between Pep Guardiola (right) and Jurgen Klopp (left) during his time as an assistant at the Etihad
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Tottenham’s James Maddison was one of the stars to leave Leicester in the summer window
The role comes more naturally for fellow striker Kelechi Iheanacho, but it is a credit to both Vardy and Maresca that the former England star is starting to find his feet. After going four games without a goal, Vardy has three in his last five.
“I’m very happy with both of them,” Maresca said. ‘I know how important they are. I know that when Jamie plays, Kelechi is probably not the happiest player in the world, and vice versa.
“But this is good because they are competing. When Jamie plays he is fantastic and the same goes for Kelechi. Kelechi scored against Norwich two games ago and Jamie scored in the following match against Bristol City.
“I’ve often said that if you want to compete, we need those kind of players. If we need them, they are ready and can help us.’
Like any inexperienced manager, Maresca learns on the job, but his treatment of players shows promise. When a player is left out, he is explained in detail the decision – usually with reference to the opponent’s tactical plan – and informed when he is likely to be brought off the bench.
Jamie Vardy has rediscovered his scoring style since heading to the Championship
Vardy was revived by Dean Smith at the end of last season after becoming disillusioned under Brendan Rodgers and Maresca has kept him happy. Rodgers sent Jannik Vestergaard to train alone and the Dane publicly said he wanted to leave Leicester in the summer. A few months later, Vestergaard is a mainstay in Maresca’s defense, having seized his opportunity when Conor Coady was injured.
Local boy Hamza Choudhury struggled to see a future at Leicester when he returned from a loan spell at Watford. Last week in Norwich, Maresca presented Choudhury with the armband and Leicester won 2-0.
Maresca works long hours (starts at 7am and ends at 7pm) and ruthlessly studies opponents and fellow bosses. Yet the 43-year-old realizes that the ultra-intensive management style is not for everyone. He believes it is important to have a light-hearted relationship with his players. It is not enough to just do the work. The players have to enjoy it too.
That is certainly the case at the moment. Even though he is a novice, Maresca has many assets in his favor, not least one of the best sides in the history of the championship. But so far he’s playing them like an old hand.