Discover the Unparalleled Influence of Pep Guardiola on Enzo Maresca Ahead of his Leicester City Managerial Debut
Enzo Maresca reveals his desire for Leicester City to adopt his playing style for their Championship opener against Coventry, highlighting Pep Guardiola's early influence on his career Catch Leicester vs Coventry on Sky Sports Football from 1130am on Sunday
Ahead of the upcoming Championship season, we had a conversation with Enzo Maresca, a former protege of Pep Guardiola. Our discussion focused on Maresca's aspirations for Leicester, his new team. Maresca is set to experience his inaugural match in English football as the Foxes welcome Coventry, their fellow Midlanders, in a live Sunday lunch-time fixture. It seems highly probable that Leicester's style of play will bear a strong influence from Guardiola.
The 43-year-old Italian aims to guide the club back to the Premier League in their first try. However, similar to his major influence, he will prioritize style as a fundamental aspect of Leicester's objectives this season.
"Our primary goal is to enable the team to play in our preferred manner," he expressed to We. "This objective is well-known to all of us."
The club did not explicitly mention the goal of promotion this year. However, there is a shared ambition among myself, the team, and the club. We all desire to achieve the same target. Nevertheless, the club acknowledges that the path to success is not as straightforward as steps A, B, and then C. Football is a challenging endeavor.
We will give our utmost effort and assess our progress on a game-by-game basis as we work towards actualizing our strategy.
Leicester is Maresca's second senior position in football, having previously served as the head coach of Parma for a brief and unsuccessful 14-game period in 2021. This role was sandwiched between two separate stints at the Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola has had the most significant impact on the former midfielder's philosophy, but he has also gained valuable experience working with other top-notch managers throughout his career as both a coach and a player. He achieved major successes with Juventus and Sevilla during his impressive 19-year playing career. Recounting his journey, he expressed how fortunate he has been to work under excellent managers like Ancelotti, Lippi, and Manuel Pellegrini. However, he emphasized that Pep's influence on his understanding of the game has been unparalleled, stating that it has been a 100 percent transformative experience.
Having the opportunity to work with different types of people has been incredibly beneficial. Not only have I learned valuable lessons from these experiences, but it has also allowed me to develop my own unique perspectives as both a manager and an individual. This growth has been a gradual process.
The initial seed of inspiration was planted when I encountered Pep Guardiola's Barcelona team as a player. It was during this encounter that I recognized there was something unique happening and my curiosity was piqued. I began analyzing games and studying the techniques of various managers, ultimately incorporating elements from their approaches into my own. The result is the formation of my own philosophy and ideas.
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Leicester have already finalized the summer acquisitions of Conor Coady and Harry Winks.
Despite the dwindling days of the summer transfer window, Leicester boast an impressive lineup of top-tier international players in their peak, with Ricardo Pereira, Wilfred Ndidi, and Kelechi Iheanacho leading the pack.
The summer departures of Harvey Barnes, James Maddison, and Youri Tielemans may just be the beginning, as more players are likely to leave before the end of August. As the new manager prepares for the upcoming season, how close is he to having a complete understanding of his squad, with only a few days remaining until their first game?
He expressed, "Like all the other managers, our situation is identical. With the market open, numerous players have the potential to depart and join. We have had nine or 10 departures and five arrivals so far, indicating the fluidity of the situation."
"In my opinion, undoubtedly, our squad is incomplete. There will be more player movements, both departures and arrivals."
Watch Leicester vs Coventry live on We Football from 11.30am on Sunday; kick-off at 12pm.
