The Enzo Thread

[Daggers]

On 21/09/2023 at 17:03, Corky said:

Like with Pearson, I feel comfortable with him in charge and feel the club is in good hands.

This. 

[whoareyaaa]

On 03/10/2023 at 11:30, BenTheFox said:

I've thought about it a little more and actually I'm wondering if Enzo has made a calculation that we can play this way in the championship because the reward is worth the risk. because we are less likely to be punished at this level playing this way. IF we get promoted he may be a little bit more pragmatic because we are more likely to be punished in the premier league. In the games against Norwich and Blackburn we were still taking risks in terms of playing out from the back but our backline was nowhere near as high up the pitch. 

We won't change the way we play even in the Prem we will probably bring is some more quality players, but most of the squad is premier league anyway that's why there is a gulf in class, we only went down because the previous manager had lost the dressing room and wanted out.

[Drink Water]

As soon as Maresca was rumoured, I backed him for the job 100%. You don't just go and win one of the hardest trebles in history as an Assistant Manager and not be able to replicate your former boss' managerial prowess in some way or another in the Championship. The man has ambitions that surpass the sky, he could have stayed at Man City and sat comfy... but he took the higher risk/higher reward option of becoming a manager himself of a relegated Premier League club, consequently stepping out of the shadows of Pep Guardiola.

 

Every player on our squad is a cog in the machine and Maresca is the engineer, his end-goal is to have the machine well oiled and operating at its optimum level. Which takes time and effort from all parties involved. But once everyone is fully on board Leicester City's new philosophy, the club climbs back up the ranks again. Enzo Maresca is with Leicester for the long-term, a man of great commitment and integrity. He understands the history; the meaning; the journey and most importantly the project that entails. Fast forward a few years, the once long ago fairytale of 2016 may repeat itself again under the leadership of yet another Italian on Filbert Way. 

[BrianSwan]

Ofcourse this style can translate to the Prem. Infact nearly every team in the Prem has at least some ability to keep possession now.

[HybridFox]

Leicester winnings. Rodgers losing. Woop woop

[westernpark]

As with Pearson this guy is someone that will shape the club positively on and also off the pitch. However, as with Pearson when Maresca leaves I worry others will have more input again. 

[Kinowe Soorie]

As well as the tactics and how well we have improved defensively, Enzo is also transforming the players.  
Really exciting times ahead.

[CUJimmy]

Enzo said a few weeks ago when we were winning by the odd goal that he had only taught the players 10-20% of what he had planned.  I wonder what the percentage is now?  This must have increased given that we are starting to score more freely, particularly against tiring opponents.  It makes me excited to see what is coming next, if it is tactics and patterns to break through the low block then we could be in for a lot of fun and the rest of the league should be very worried.

[EnglishOxide]

Our board should be backing this man in the next two transfer windows. Give him whoever he asks for because I'd be 95% sure they will improve the team and he will improve them (which benefits the club financially should they leave). 

 

He clearly knows what he's doing, how to coach and how to set up a team. His overall man management will take time to judge but for as long as we are winning we can assume we have a happy and competitively healthy dressing room. 

[StriderHiryu]

Is anyone good at photoshop?

 

Please could someone photoshop this to put Maresca's head on this fine gentleman:

 

 

After all we are all going up... THE MARESCALATOR!

[Happy Fox]

John Percy

In his first training session as Leicester City’s new manager, Enzo Maresca huddled the squad together and delivered his vision for the future.

Outlining his philosophy and style of play in detail, he can remember the clear message he relayed to his players.

“Do what we have to do, and don’t worry if there’s any mistakes. A mistake is part of the process and we will make them in the future, but this way is what we believe and we will continue that.”

Maresca’s message has clearly had an effect, for Leicester are transformed under the Italian and riding high in the Championship with nine wins from 10 matches.

A former Manchester City first-team coach, who was part of the backroom staff for last season’s Treble, he is the latest disciple of Pep Guardiola to make an impact in the technical area, following in the footsteps of Mikel Arteta, Xavi and Vincent Kompany.

He is a football obsessive, who insisted on his squad staying overnight at Leicester’s training ground for the entire first week of pre-season to build a culture and get his ideas across.

The bitter disappointment of last season’s relegation is now being gradually forgotten, with supporters revelling in a brand new playing style.

“Straight back up Leicester City, playing football the Enzo way,” is the chant, and Wednesday night’s home win over Preston lifted the club back to the top of the table.

Heavily influenced by Guardiola and his close friend Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton, Maresca’s high-risk yet high-reward approach can be devastating.

He refers to it as “the idea”, and there were a few Leicester players who initially wondered whether it could work in a division renowned for chaos and impatience. After the September international break, it seems to have all clicked into place.

Usually operating in a 4-3-3 formation, Maresca wants his team to build from the back slowly and patiently, and then react ruthlessly and quickly in the final third when spaces are exploited.

In the 4-1 demolition of Southampton last month, the third goal from Wilfred Ndidi was Maresca’s vision in high definition after 33 passes.

“The more you have the ball, the more you enjoy it as a player,” he says.

“We need to convince them, and they are giving 100 per cent to being open-minded and to learn. We are trying to teach the players and the results obviously help a lot. They are showing resilience and sacrificing a lot to work with each other.”

WINKS AND HERMANSEN AMONG THE INDIVIDUAL SUCCESS STORIES

An uncompromising football purist, Maresca is completely wedded to his style. In his mind, his way is the only way. He often takes greater satisfaction from his players sticking to the plan over the positive results.

On his WhatsApp profile, he provides an intriguing insight into his methods with a quote from Johan Cruyff: “Teams don’t learn. Individuals within the team learn. Development is a personal process even when conducted in a team environment.”

Crucially, the players are fully on board, and there are already many individual success stories. Harry Winks, a £10million summer signing from Tottenham, has been outstanding and is the heartbeat of the team.

He detests giving the ball away, and in the recent win at Norwich City recorded a 100 per cent success rate from 83 passes.

Mads Hermansen, a Danish goalkeeper signed from Brondby, is proving a game-changer in many respects. He is essentially a playmaker from the back and can put the ball wherever he wants, drawing comparisons with Ederson at Manchester City.

Maresca was pivotal in the signings of both Winks and Hermansen - shortly after his arrival, Leicester’s head of recruitment Martyn Glover presented him with a list of players in those positions and Maresca decided both would be perfect for his style of play.

There have been other key performers: Ndidi is revitalised this season, academy product Kasey McAteer and Manchester City loanee Callum Doyle were both excellent before recent injuries, while Jannik Vestergaard - frozen out by Brendan Rodgers to such an extent that last season he was training alone - is back in the picture.

You can also never write off Jamie Vardy, 37 in January. Leicester’s best ever signing has four goals already and is flourishing under a new approach.

“We cannot teach Jamie anything inside the box, he is probably the best and he knows everything,” says Maresca. “But now he’s enjoying it because he’s linking with the team and touching the ball more.”

Maresca prefers to train with 20 players who know they are connected to the matchday squad. It is a similar approach to Rodgers, who always insisted that up to 25 players can leave five or six feeling detached and unwanted.

His strengths are his tactical knowledge and simplifying details. The message is always clear, and every player knows what is demanded of them. Lengthy meetings are the norm, while afternoon training sessions are far more frequent than under any of Maresca’s predecessors.

Until recently, Maresca was living at the club’s state-of-the-art training ground in Seagrave before moving into a new home with wife Maria and his four children.

There is a good vibe around the club, and some cliques from last season - when groups of players would sit together separately in the training ground canteen - have been removed.

Leicester’s fans are loving the ride. Disillusioned over last season’s tame drop from the Premier League, the fanbr needed re-energising and Maresca has delivered. It may come as no surprise but the majority of those fans are also loving a league without Var.

Rival managers look on with envy at Leicester’s squad, which is arguably one of the best ever in the Championship and has some players earning over £70,000 a week.

Despite the sales of James Maddison and Harvey Barnes after relegation, they still possess a number of players who could easily operate in the Premier League now.

Maresca is weary of pressure being built on his team, yet will know the expectation is to make a swift return to the top division.

MARESCA’S ‘FOOTBALL AND CHESS’ THESIS

This moment has been coming for the 43-year-old, ever since passing his Pro-License coaching badges in the summer of 2019 with a near perfect score.

Like De Zerbi, he studied at the revered national training centre in Coverciano. With him in the classroom were the likes of Italy World Cup winner Mauro Camoranesi, former Arsenal and Manchester City defender Sylvinho and Antonio Conte’s assistant Cristian Stellini.

Maresca’s thesis was called “Football and Chess”, and he has taken those ideals into management: “There are many similarities between both games: the opponent will do something a certain way and I have to react and adapt.”

His education under Manuel Pellegrini (who managed him at Malaga and took him to West Ham as a coach) and then Guardiola opened his mind wide to the possibilities. After being appointed as head coach of Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad in August 2020, he won the Premier League 2 title that season.

His relationship became closer with Guardiola on Sunday mornings. When City’s first-team players came in for recovery sessions, a few of Maresca’s youngsters would join in and the pair established a bond there.

After a disappointing spell with Parma in 2021, he returned to the Etihad Stadium and played a key role in last season’s treble. The plan was always to return to management, and when he met Leicester’s hierarchy in June there was an immediate connection.

Guardiola gave him his blessing to leave, and will be looking on with interest.

Maresca’s “idea” is working and, on the evidence of recent results, Leicester’s tour of the Championship could be very brief.

.

 

[Babylon]

20 minutes ago, Happy Fox said:

Maresca’s thesis was called “Football and Chess”, and he has taken those ideals into management: “There are many similarities between both games: the opponent will do something a certain way and I have to react and adapt.

Something that's been very noticeable, people scream for a "Plan B", but we have plan B, although it could be different every game depending on what the opposition is doing. Maresca making small tweaks that might be indiscernible to the average Joe in the stands to combat what stands in front of him. 

 

Plan B will never mean lumping the ball forward to a manager like him, he'd see that as total failure and just based on hope rather than a thought out plan. It's going to be moving a player into a slightly different position, tweaking a passing channel to draw players out etc. It won't always be successful, but I'd rather a man in charge thinking about combating the problem and analysing it, rather than pinning it on a bit of luck. 

[filbertway]

Just dipping in to say that so far I am enjoying Enzo a hell of a lot. Not one red flag for me so far. He's an absolute breath of fresh air. 

 

The big test will be come on our first downturn of form though, you only see the true make up of a person when times are tough. Not getting too carried away as I was smitten with Brendan till 2020  

 

I love that while we have a system, the players do have freedom to try different things out, if they see a ball on they will go direct. It's absolute levels above the predictable sideways and backwards stuff that Rodgers was churning out

[Blanchflower78]

We're seeing the benefits of a young manager carving out his career. He's very hungry, detail driven and a breath of fresh air. Really couldn't have gone any better.

 

Concern being success brings attention but for now sit back and enjoy the journey 👍

[filbertway]

10 minutes ago, Blanchflower78 said:

We're seeing the benefits of a young manager carving out his career. He's very hungry, detail driven and a breath of fresh air. Really couldn't have gone any better.

 

Concern being success brings attention but for now sit back and enjoy the journey 👍

Well, if the top brass are doing their jobs right they'll already have a list of replacements drawn up in the likely event he moves on in the next couple of years. 

[StanSP]

Love this but from the above article:

 

Maresca’s ‘Football and Chess’ thesis

This moment has been coming for the 43-year-old, ever since passing his Pro-License coaching badges in the summer of 2019 with a near perfect score.

Like De Zerbi, he studied at the revered national training centre in Coverciano. With him in the classroom were the likes of Italy World Cup winner Mauro Camoranesi, former Arsenal and Manchester City defender Sylvinho and Antonio Conte’s assistant Cristian Stellini.

Maresca’s thesis was called “Football and Chess”, and he has taken those ideals into management: “There are many similarities between both games: the opponent will do something a certain way and I have to react and adapt

 

Man's attention to detail must be second to none. When it comes to football management you'd think this is such a valuable quality, and why we look so slick because he's clearly communicated what he needs from each player and collectively what he demands as a team. You can have all the best tactics in the world but lack in communicating them. Or vice versa. But Maresca seems to build the perfect balance because of his mind and his vision. 

 

I'm so glad players have bought into his style and character and ambition. Relegation was absolutely shit but we've picked the right person to not only get us back up, but to hopefully keep us there. Fingers crossed he decides to stay here if we do go up. 

[SecretPro]

I FU*KING LOVE HIM.

[Lionator]

Near perfect score? What a nerd.

[STUHILL]

I still feel that Scott Parker would have been a better choice.

[StanSP]

You get the sense that Maresca is such a great man manager as well as being extremely astute tactically. 

 

 

[splinterdream]

Very soon, if not already, Premier League clubs are going to be looking at Enzo, at what point (if not already) are we a more attractive club than bottom half Prem clubs? What clubs would you think he couldn't turn down if they come in for him before Xmas?

[Paninistickers]

14 minutes ago, splinterdream said:

Very soon, if not already, Premier League clubs are going to be looking at Enzo, at what point (if not already) are we a more attractive club than bottom half Prem clubs? What clubs would you think he couldn't turn down if they come in for him before Xmas?

Nah mate. There's all but about 8 clubs he'd jump ship for in the PL. And all of those are extremely unlikely to appoint him on the basis of half a season. 

 

The eventual threat if he continues may well come from a major club on the continent 

 

 

[Fear Of The Fox]

15 minutes ago, splinterdream said:

Very soon, if not already, Premier League clubs are going to be looking at Enzo, at what point (if not already) are we a more attractive club than bottom half Prem clubs? What clubs would you think he couldn't turn down if they come in for him before Xmas?

Glad I'm not the only one thinking about that because I posted yesterday ManU might go after him and I was laughed at. I reckon he would turn down any job offers from the classic mid table downwards teams. It depends on his ambitions and confidence. ManU are a mess, he's a Pep "apprentice", probably he would turn down a job there. Idk if he would turn down a Chelsea job though next summer. 

[splinterdream]

3 minutes ago, Fear Of The Fox said:

Glad I'm not the only one thinking about that because I posted yesterday ManU might go after him and I was laughed at. I reckon he would turn down any job offers from the classic mid table downwards teams. It depends on his ambitions and confidence. ManU are a mess, he's a Pep "apprentice", probably he would turn down a job there. Idk if he would turn down a Chelsea job though next summer. 

Enzo would be a huge gamble for Utd, he has a football system that he's set up in the championship, and he's having great success with it, but so did Kompany, and now he's struggling in the Prem, so I could only see a middling to lower league team interested, so it's going to get to a point where its that teams ambitions vs ours which would make his mind up, because its looking like it'd take something major to knock back our momentum 

[Royston.]

I always questioned whether the players we had could play "Maresca's way"

 

We bought in Hermanson and Winks who have been instrumental, the latter I was not happy with but consider me eating delicious humble pie

 

Ndidi has been transformed and has to be Maresca's most impressive work so far but others such as Ricardo and Vestergaard to name but two, whilst always capable with the ball, are allowed to flourish in the system.