Focusing on the End Objective – Maresca Places a Focus on Progress
So far, so good under the Italian coach, as Leicester has won five of its first six Sky Bet Championship games, placing them in a great position at the start of the season.
The focus now shifts to Wednesday’s game against Norwich City (8 p.m. BST kickoff). The City manager gave a press conference inside the King Power Center at LCFC Training Ground to preview the midweek match.
Looking back on last Friday night’s success at St. Mary’s Stadium, Maresca was very pleased with the way the team performed at both ends of the pitch, especially the quality of the play leading up to the goals.
“I think it was a complete performance on the ball and off the ball,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “Off the ball was exactly the way we prepared the game, to go there and try to be ourselves, very aggressive and since the game started, we showed that we were there to win game.
“On the ball, we did exactly the same thing we have been doing since day one. In the seven official games that we’ve had, there are four or five more actions where we did more than 30 passes but it didn’t finish in a goal so nobody realised. When you score it’s completely different, but we’ve worked in that way since we started.
“I’m pleased, especially for the players, because they can see what we are working towards is there in the end. I show them almost after every game some of the good, long combinations. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always finish in a goal. But they are very happy and we are happy with that.”
The Canaries test
The Norfolk side have also lost just once this season and sit fourth in the standings under the management of David Wagner. Maresca understands the level of the test that awaits at Carrow Road, where Norwich hold a 100 per cent record in 2023/24.
“They are a very good team and are playing unbelievably,” the former Manchester City coach analysed. “They have a different way to play – when they build from the back, they are in one shape. Then when they are on the other side, they change shape. They try to play.
“We’re going to try and be ourselves on the ball and off the ball, continue to work in the way we are working and try to get some points there. One hundred per cent, it is much better for sure to play a game after a good win like we did the other day, no doubt, because the mood and the momentum is good, but you never know.
“We go there, and they always win at home, they are playing very well, they are in a good mood, but you never know how the game will be. For sure, we need to continue to improve because we have many things to improve.
“This international break, we used it to try to add some solutions, even though all the players weren’t here, but we worked specifically with some players. But the only way to continue is to improve, as a player, and then automatically to improve as a team.”
Competition for places
Following the summer arrival of nine new faces, there’s a healthy rivalry within the squad, Maresca believes. Given the rigours of the Championship and cup competitions, it will be necessary to utilise a full complement of players.
The Manager explained: “The only thing I can say is that Stephy [Mavididi], Yunus [Akgün] and Abdul [Fatawu], all of them arrived here not 100 per cent fit. In terms of Yunus, he came to a different country with a different tempo. After three or four days, he said it’s completely different from Turkey.
“But it’s the same in Italy and Spain. For Abdul, exactly the same. He played 90 minutes for the last time in June. You can see that he has something good. He hit the post against Hull. He lost some balls but sometimes you can see in one vs. one that he is very dangerous.
“But he needs, step by step, to improve. And hopefully they will all be at 100 per cent and then we can decide. The only thing I can say is that when you want to reach something important, you need 20 players.
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“For some reasons, some of them will not play tomorrow (Wednesday), or did not play the other day, but the season is so long that for sure we are going to use them. In this moment, a clear example is JJ (James Justin). He was playing just in a cup game and the other day he played unbelievably.
“He was ready and it’s the same for the rest. They need to train well and the moment that we need them, they will play. They train every day because they want to play. They don’t train because they want to sit on the bench next to me.
“I know that, I was there for 20 years. You work because your target is to play, but sometimes you have 20-25 players and you have to make decisions. Sometimes my decisions are not the right ones, but they have to accept it and be ready when we need them.”
