Enzo Maresca, the new coach of Chelsea, had coached in a few different capacities before assuming full managerial responsibilities. He had also worked with Manuel Pellegrini at West Ham.
There he met Robert Snodgrass, who has been discussing the Italian coach with the Daily Record today:
“He took the time to work with players and help them improve, which is what I loved about him at West Ham.” He will pinpoint weak points in certain players’ game, work on them, and improve them; all of which will benefit the squad as a whole. He’ll teach those boys in a new way and through a different method, according to Snodgrass.
“He’ll reach the pinnacle. At West Ham, we used to all chat about it. The players were confident that he would become one of the top coaches in the area. I realise how much he opened my mind to when I consider what I learned from him. As soon as I started listening to him, I could tell he was going to be successful. When it comes to football, his attention to detail is unmatched. He is an instructor in the game.
A positive report
Reading articles like this one never fails to pique your interest in a new manager. Naturally, one must approach them cautiously, but if you can’t be enthusiastic at this point, when will you be able to? Living a life of cynicism is not easy.
A lot of very nice briefs are circulating at the moment, in which the club makes clear to the selected journalists why they are doing things. However, this one is straight from the horse’s mouth, and it’s not like Snodgrass is benefiting from his old coach’s praises.
At least we have some of these lovely phrases to help us till the real work begins on the training pitch.