Ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League clash with Atalanta, Enzo Maresca has made a somewhat concerning reveal.
Atalanta haven’t had a great season. They sit in 12th in Serie A after an underwhelming start that saw new manager Ivan Juric given his marching papers shortly after his summer arrival.
Raffaele Palladino took over at the start of November, a man Enzo Maresca knows well from his playing days.
Chelsea are narrow favourites to beat Atalanta, but it’s that very relationship between the coaches that might just give the Italian outfit an unforeseen edge.
Atalanta manager Raffaele Palladino on Chelsea
“First of all, it’s a prestigious match, a great occasion for the city, for the club, the players and all of us. We can’t wait to step onto the pitch and face such a strong team. Chelsea won the Club World Cup this summer; they’re packed with quality, strong individuals, top-class players. We want to measure ourselves against teams like this.”
Raffaele Palladino speaking to Atalanta’s official club website
Raffaele Palladino, Head Coach of Atalanta, speaks during an interview
Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images
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Raffaele Palladino knows Enzo Maresca and Chelsea very well
Palladino and Maresca played together at Juventus way back when, and remain friends to this day.
When Palladino was a free agent — before he became a Champions League rival — Maresca invited his old teammate to London.
As he tells Sky Sports Italia: “We’ve known each other since the Juventus days. Before he started working with Atalanta, he came to a couple of our matches in London and we stayed in contact.”
Palladino described spending time with Maresca and assistant coach Roberto Vitiello while in England.
Raffaele Palladino is the head coach of Atalanta BC during the Hellas Verona FC vs Atalanta BC
Photo by Davide Casentini/NurPhoto via Getty Images
He wasn’t just in the stands either, as he revealed to Tutto Mercato Web: “I expect a strong Chelsea team with great individual talent.
“I studied them a lot when I was in England, but obviously playing matches is always a different story. I’m happy for Maresca and what he’s doing.”
With no way of knowing that he would be facing off against his old pal, Maresca won’t have limited what he shared with the now-Atalanta boss.
Enzo Maresca might have an edge of his own
It’s hard to imagine Palladino won’t benefit from his time around Chelsea.
Seeing the team in action and speaking to the man behind the tactics, Palladino will have some insight that others don’t when they face the Blues.
But we shouldn’t forget about Maresca’s familiarity with Atalanta and Italian football either. He learned much of his trade from the same person as Palladino — legendary Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini.
This won’t be a run-and-gun type of game. It’s likely to be a chess match against a tactically robust side, with both managers even more motivated than usual to come out on top in the coaching battle.
Maresca can field a stronger XI vs Atalanta with Moises Caicedo back in the side, but Cole Palmer has been left at home.
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