Enzo Maresca will be taking on a very familiar foe when Chelsea face West Ham United this Friday.
The Italian spent some time at Chelsea‘s London rivals working as a coach and left a very good impression on the players there.
He will now be looking to inflict more misery on his former club following their 3-0 loss to Sunderland last Saturday.
However, Maresca will have to do it without Nicolas Jackson, who has been training away from the Chelsea first team ahead of a potential transfer this summer. In the same fixture last season, it was Jackson who punished West Ham, scoring twice in a 3-0 win.
West Ham United FC v Chelsea FC - Premier League
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West Ham players knew Enzo Maresca would become a top coach
One player whom Maresca worked with during his time at the London Stadium was Robert Snodgrass, and the former Scotland international has had plenty of good things to say about him.
At the time, Snodgrass and his West Ham teammates all tipped Maresca to reach the top.
In an interview with the Daily Record in 2023, the retired winger said: “He’ll go to the very top. We all used to talk about it at West Ham. The players had no doubt he would develop into one of the best coaches around.”
After just one season at Stamford Bridge, Maresca has proven those he used to work with right.
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Under the 45-year-old’s guidance, Chelsea were able to win two major honours last season and qualify for the Champions League. That is certainly not the work of an average coach.
Maresca will be eyeing more success this term, though that may be difficult following Levi Colwill’s injury.
Colwill was a key player for the Chelsea boss in the last campaign, making 43 appearances in all competitions, but he is going to miss most of this season after damaging his ACL.
Maresca wants a new centre-back, but the Club World Cup winners look reluctant to bring a new one in.
Everton v West Ham United - Carabao Cup Fourth Round
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Enzo Maresca’s attention to detail ‘second to none’
Even without Colwill, you would still expect Chelsea to have a good season. They have so many other quality players, while Maresca is a shrewd coach. For Snodgrass, his attention to detail is “second to none”.
“When I first listened to him, I knew straight away he would be a success,” Snodgrass said in the same Daily Record interview. “His attention to detail when it comes to football is second to none. He’s a student of the game.”
Let’s see what the former Leicester City boss has up his sleeve for the West Ham fixture and the rest of the season with Colwill unavailable.