The Leicester City manager took his seat in the Seagrave media center on Friday morning to preview his team’s Championship match against Swansea on Saturday afternoon.
Storm Babet couldn’t dampen Enzo Maresca’s enthusiasm as he emerged from the rain to take his seat at the Seagrave media center on Friday morning.
The Leicester City boss seemed upbeat as he discussed the club’s journey to Swansea, possibly bolstered by the fitness of all of his returning players. Preparing for the first game back after an international break can be tricky, with players occasionally picking up knocks while representing their nations, but Maresca was delighted to report that those who had traveled were in good health.
Maresca’s wingers are a rare pleasure.
Being able to spend time instructing his guys over the last two weeks had also made him happy. Maresca considered it a rare joy to look further into select players’ games and figure out how to improve areas of their performances that may make or break the club.
Maresca noted that Kieran Dewsbury-Hall’s playing was scrutinized in depth during the previous international break, but this time it was the wingers. Stephy Mavididi, Abdul Fatawu, and Marc Albrighton were offered tips on how to be more effective, with Maresca focusing on the smallest things, such as the foot used to handle the ball.
“We had 10 or 11 players here, so we tried to focus with all of them,” she said. “We did something special this time with the wingers Stephy, Abdul, and Marc.” It’s the best there is. It’s the finest time when you want to go on the field and coach players. It’s what we enjoy doing, trying to teach and better them. It’s a good time.
“We have time to spend with them during the international break to improve the small details.” There is no time to work throughout the season. We tried to work on the initial touch, the first control, with Stephy and Abdul. It has to be with the right occasionally, and with the left other times, merely to teach them when to use one and when to use the other.”
In the embargoed segment of the press conference, there was further debate about Mavididi, with Maresca not shying away from openly delivering constructive criticism to his players, as he has done previously with Dewsbury-Hall and Wout Faes. Certainly, the management believes the summer acquisition has not yet reached his full potential.
Topics on supporters’ lips are dismissed by the manager.
Maresca is less excited about City’s promotion push and the records they continue to set. They may be on supporters’ lips, but the Italian is reluctant to speak because he does not want his players to get ahead of themselves, especially in October.
If City beats Swansea on Saturday, it will be the finest start to a Championship season since the league was renamed 20 years ago. But Maresca is focused on the process.
He wants his players to listen to his directions and play to their strengths. That is fantastic if it results in a result. If it does not, there is no problem. Maresca believes City are still in their infancy under him, and that results are not the be-all and end-all.
“I think even if we lose, it’s a fantastic start,” he remarked. We’re concentrating on the game tomorrow. We are especially focused on what we need to do. It’s a byproduct. If we do the correct things nine times out of ten, or eight times out of ten, we receive the proper results. Even if you do everything correctly, you may not always win. We’re only focused about the game tomorrow.”
