Enzo Maresca has been holding court in his first press conference of the season, and while there were some negatives for him to address, including the injury to Levi Colwill and the rumours about Nicolas Jackson leaving, there were also some positives.
Maresca on brilliant new attacking signing
After competing at the Club World Cup with Palmeiras (including scoring a goal against Chelsea) Estevao Willian has finally joined up with the Blues for training, and Maresca was asked to speak a little about the Brazilian winger and where he might fit into his team:
“He can play anywhere, he is so good,” Maresca said.
“He is like Cole [Palmer] in terms of position, he can play outside and inside. In our 5 attacking positions, he can play anywhere”
However he also had a warning to not expect too much from the youngster, who will take some time to settle in England and in the Premier League:
“We need to pay attention because he is very young and from a different part of the world.”
It’s a clear message to fans to temper their expectations.
Estevao’s adaptation to Maresca’s system an interesting factor in early season
In terms of Estevao’s integration, we expect Maresca to be very cautious, as he’s hinted at above. The fact that the Brazilian can play in any of the attacking positions should give him plenty of chances as a sub, but we don’t expect a start in the Premier League for some time.
It will also be interesting to see how such a free spirited, creative player fits into Maresca’s more rigid style. That tactical adaptation could take a while too. He will have to learn to defend and play in an entirely different way to in Brazil.
