At his press conference this week, Enzo Maresca spoke of two houses: the one he hopes to build at Chelsea, but first, the one where his Leicester players came unexpectedly – at 2 a.m. – to celebrate their promotion.
Ahead of his first return to the King Power Stadium, Maresca recalled the giddiness of Friday night (and Saturday morning) last April when, after Leeds suffered a surprise defeat at QPR, the Foxes’ top-flight return was confirmed.
“The first face I saw was Hamza [Choudhury]said Maresca, explaining how the unexpected guests disrupted celebrations previously confined to his family and staff. “They didn’t even knock on the door: they were in the garden then at my window. But when I drew the curtains, it was his face.
“It showed how close the team was, the connection with the players. They could have gone to another place to party, but they all ended up at my house.
Maresca called the moment “the best gift I received last season” and admitted the bond with his players and the club’s hierarchy made it difficult for him to leave when Chelsea came calling in the summer.
“Until the end, the owner [Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha] I did everything they could to convince me to stay,” he said. “He understood perfectly but the connection was fantastic.”
There was frustration at Leicester at how quickly Maresca was moving forward, after just one season in charge. The club’s official departure statement said they were “disappointed that Enzo has decided at this stage that he no longer wants to be part of our vision” and the manager himself admitted on Thursday that he was no longer not sure what kind of reception he will get from Foxes fans. .
Moving on, however, tends to be Maresca’s way. He played for 11 clubs during his professional career, never staying for more than four seasons, and has coached at four different clubs in the last four years.
Chelsea, with their infamous managerial churn, may seem a strange place to talk about settling down, but having so far exceeded expectations in taking the Blues to third place in the Premier League, the 44-year-old has good hope.
“Of course the feeling is good and I certainly feel ready to stay at a club for many more years,” he said. “There is no doubt about it. But the problem is that it doesn’t depend on me. It depends on the club if you are together and agree to stay for many years. We feel like home.
After a tough run of matches against Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle and Arsenal before the international break, Saturday’s encounter marks the start of a softer run for the Blues, who will only face one of the current top eight, Fulham, in their next 11 championships. lighting fixtures.
Chelsea’s chance of cementing their top four place over the festive period is clear
Chelsea’s chance to cement their top-four position over the festive period is clear, especially given the depth Maresca has.
The Italian, however, is careful not to underestimate the adversaries he helped to promote, particularly because of the esteem he places in their leader.
“[Jamie] Vardy is fantastic and people don’t realize how good he is,” Maresca said. “I know England have been very lucky with strikers, like [Harry] Kane, [Wayne] Rooney and many others. But if you ask me, he was the best.
“He can do a lot of things, like run behind and finish, but the best thing for me is his open-mindedness.
“Last year, he changed the way he played by intervening, by chaining the play and he always wants to learn. But of course, he still has the hardest thing to find: scoring goals.
“He can be away for a week, without training, and play on Saturday or Sunday and he’s the one who scores.”