Manager Enzo Maresca Delighted with Chelsea Career Kickoff

Maresca's team, currently on a seven-game unbeaten streak across all competitions, are just four points behind Liverpool, the early leaders in the English Premier League. They are now in contention to qualify for the Champions League.

Former Leicester City manager Maresca has impressed so far but faces a daunting challenge at Anfield, where Arne Slot has made a flying start to his reign.

Asked on Oct 18 how he would assess his start to life at Stamford Bridge, Maresca said: “Very happy because what I expected in terms of players and level and style, I can see clearly that is there.

“I said already many times that no matter... who is going to play, you can see clearly the way we want to play.”

The Italian added: “The club is one of the best clubs in the world. And I’m very excited to play with them. And I feel very lucky to spend my time and to share my time with this squad.”

Although a Chelsea victory on Merseyside would be a significant statement of intent, Maresca was keen to downplay the significance of the Liverpool clash.

He said: “It’s not this game that is going to define where we are – if we win, we solve all the problems, and in case we lose? No. It’s just a process, it’s just a game.”

Maresca said Chelsea were “excited to play this kind of game”, with potentially tough fixtures coming up against Newcastle United, Manchester United and Arsenal.

“All the games that we’ve played until now, not one of them has been easy,” he said. “I think the Premier League is probably the best league in the world. It’s because it’s the toughest league in the world.”

Meanwhile, Slot has warned that Chelsea could be Liverpool’s “toughest opponent” of the season so far, but cautioned against snap judgements as he prepares for a testing week.

Liverpool entered the weekend top of the table with six wins in seven games but have had a relatively kind fixture list so far under their new manager.

That changes from Oct 19, when they face high-flying Chelsea, before a tough match at RB Leipzig in the Champions League in midweek and an away trip to Arsenal next week.

Over the coming weeks they also face Brighton & Hove Albion, Aston Villa and Manchester City in the Premier League, with Bayern Leverkusen and Real Madrid both making the trip to Anfield in the Champions League.

Slot was asked on Oct 18 whether Chelsea would be their hardest game so far.

“If you look at the league table it is,” he said. “I think Manchester United (Liverpool won 3-0) is a very good team, a top club in England that has spent a lot of money to make the team better again, same for Chelsea in this season.

“Chelsea does really well, so if you look at the league table then they are the ones that might be our toughest opponent but it’s not always about the league table sometimes, it’s about the form on the day, it’s about their game plan.”

Former Feyenoord manager Slot, who has hit the ground running at Anfield after replacing Jurgen Klopp, has warned against reading too much into results over the next week.

“If you judge your team only on a week that would not be fair,” he said. “You have to judge as a team after this spell of games, not three of them but six, seven or eight of them, then we know better how we act and how we perform.”

Elsewhere in the north of England, Pep Guardiola said “part of me will leave” City when director of football Txiki Begiristain leaves the club at the end of this season.

Begiristain recently announced his plan to step down, with Sporting Lisbon’s Hugo Viana agreeing to replace Guardiola’s trusted adviser.

The Spaniard joined City in 2012 after working in the same director of football role at Barcelona between 2003 and 2010.

Begiristain was widely credited with convincing his former Barcelona teammate Guardiola to become City manager in 2016.

“Part of me is leaving, I would say. He is a friend of mine and one of the architects of one of the best teams ever from Barcelona, and now here,” Guardiola said on Oct 18, ahead of his side’s trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Oct 20.

“Personally, he will be missed a lot. He helped me a lot in my period in Barcelona and of course here. But I have the opinion the club is so solid, incredibly well-structured... All families have to move on and the club will move on.” AFP