Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has been explaining about the time he watched 38 games of Liverpool in one week, but he was not even a manager at this point let alone the Chelsea manager.
You often find managers will be scouting their opposition in the week leading up to facing them, and often watching many of their games back to study certain tactics and players. But Maresca has been well ahead of the curve with Liverpool, who his Chelsea side face later today at Anfield.
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The Blues will be looking to continue that good start to the season they have had so far, but the home side have also had a very good start too.
Other than Chelsea losing to Manchester City on the opening day of the new Premier League season, neither side are yet to really face what you would call a ‘top’ team in the league yet, so today is a real test for both new managers, Maresca and Arne Slot.
Maresca is ready
Maresca also said the way Liverpool players past and present put pressure on the ball out of possession is something he hopes to see from his team.
“When I finished playing and started as a manager, I watched 38 games of Liverpool in one week, to study and to analyse how good they were with the previous manger in terms of pressing and this kind of thing,” he said.
“I really know Liverpool players because I watched them many times. That team, the first one, two, three years with Klopp, the way they were pressing was especially because (Mohamed) Salah, (Roberto) Firmino and (Sadio) Mane.
“It’s not only on the ball it’s also off the ball. The way they are aggressive was something unbelievable. I really like Salah not only because he is good on the ball but because he is a fantastic player off the ball.
“It was Christmas time, I still remember. I was starting to watch different kinds of football to understand and see how the best teams were doing things.”
Quotes via Optus Sport.
