Maresca: Something between Chelsea and Italy ‘works well’ | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca says the strong link between Chelsea and Italian coaches’ works well’ and admits Carlo Ancelotti and Marcello Lippi influenced him as a manager.

Maresca released his first interview as Chelsea’s head coach today. He is the seventh Italian tactician to take over at Stamford Bridge after Gianluca Vialli, Claudio Ranieri, Carlo Ancelotti, Maurizio Sarri, Roberto Di Matteo and Antonio Conte.

This is also one of the reasons why he accepted the job.

Maresca: Something between Chelsea and Italy ‘works well’

“One of the reasons for sure [I joined],” he told the club’s official website.

“I’m very proud to be an Italian manager here again. Probably there is something between Chelsea as a club, as a family, and Italian people that works well.”

A former midfielder, Maresca played under some iconic managers during his career as a footballer.ì, including Ancelotti and Lippi at Juventus.

“Absolutely. As you say, I played under (Carlo) Ancelotti, (Marcello) Lippi, (Manuel) Pellegrini, all of them are very important managers,” he said.

“We all try to take things and then we create our own box with all these things inside.

“I’m very excited. One of the reasons I’m here is because I’m convinced the squad is very good and full of talent,” continued the ex-Parma coach.

“The most important thing now is we’re able to create the right culture that drives us for the season.”

The Italian tactician explained his philosophy and what Chelsea fans must expect from his team.

“We are going to try to be an aggressive team on and off the ball, and we need to create this connection between the fans and the club, especially at home,” he said.

“Just trust the process, trust the idea, be behind the team. For sure we are going to enjoy the journey. Like at every club, for every manager, it will not be easy because nothing is easy. But for sure we are going to enjoy our journey.”

Maresca scored 21 goals in 167 Serie A appearances for Juventus, Cagliari, Bologna, Piacenza Palermo, Hellas Verona, Fiorentina and Sampdoria.

He won one Scudetto with the Bianconeri and several trophies, including two UEFA Cups (now Europa League), during his time in Spain at Sevilla.