Enzo Maresca admits he fell for the Liverpool way under Jurgen Klopp after watching them “38 times one Christmas“.
Having hung up his boots in 2017, the Italian chose to spend an entire festive season glued to an entire season’s worth of Klopp’s brand of heavy metal football at Anfield. Fair to say, Maresca, who took over the Chelsea managerial reins in the summer, was hugely impressed by what he saw.
What really struck home was the work ethic of the Liverpool forwards, led by Mohamed Salah, as they operated the German coach’s trademark high press. Ahead of the Blues’ trip to face Arne Slot’s Merseysiders, who were top coming into the weekend, Maresca revealed: “It was Christmas, I still remember. I was watching different kinds of work to understand and see how the best teams think.
“It was four or five years ago. I’d finished playing and started as a manager. I watched 38 games of Liverpool in one week – to study and analyse how they were with their previous manager, in terms of the pressing and this kind of thing.
“So I really know Liverpool players because I watched them many, many, many times. That team, the first one, two, three years of Klopp, and the way they were pressing was especially good because of Salah, (Roberto) Firmino and (Sadio) Mane.
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“Not only on the ball. It was off the ball, the way they were aggressive was something unbelievable. I really like Salah not only because he is good on the ball but because he’s fantastic off it.”
Which is something Chelsea goal wonder Cole Palmer needs to take note of, according to Maresca, if he is to follow in the Egyptian’s prolific footsteps. And while Palmer’s individual goals and assists for 2024 might eclipse those of Salah, the England winger must produce those type of numbers year upon year to be compared in the same world-class bracket as the lethal Reds counterpart.
Ex-Leicester and Parma boss Maresca went on: “You cannot just judge on one or two years. In Salah’s case you have to judge on the seven, eight years with Liverpool. He’s been one of the best players – one of the best Liverpool players – in that time. Cole is doing that for us in the last year and also now. Hopefully, he can do it for the next five, 10 years with us.”
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Salah, of course, was a regular thorn in Manchester City’s side during the height of Liverpool’s rivalry with Pep Guardiola’s men. Maresca briefly witnessed it first-hand in 2022-23 from the dugout as Guardiola’s assistant.
But reminded of Salah’s superb record, the ex-Juventus midfielder, 44, insisted: “Salah was doing that not only against City – or Chelsea – but against all the teams. He’s fantastic against everyone.
“Liverpool use him in all the moments. From the keeper to Salah. From (Virgil) Van Dijk to Salah. From (Lucas) Mac Allister to Salah. He’s their main player.”