Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca refused to rule out managing Barcelona in the future, but insisted he’s “very happy” to be at “one of the best clubs in the world.”
The Italian’s profile has raised significantly over the past 18 months after leading Chelsea to Conference League glory in his first year in charge, as well as taking the former Champions League winners back into European’s premier club competition.
Maresca’s credentials will be tested by Barcelona in a heavyweight clash on Tuesday night, with Chelsea’s form at home indifferent as just 43% of the 23 points they’ve earned in the Premier League so far have come at Stamford Bridge.
In his pregame press conference, Maresca answered questions about a number of subjects, including potentially managing Barcelona in the future—the Italian has enthused about watching the side Pep Guardiola managed during the late 2000s and early 2010s.
Maresca, who speaks fluent Spanish, did not distance himself from taking over if the opportunity arises—though he was keen to stress his commitment to his current employers.
Maresca: Guardiola is Why I Became a Manager
“You know me because you are always in my press conferences. Even when you ask me what’s happening in three-four months, I always say ‘I don’t know’,” he said. “At this moment, I’m very happy to be at this huge club, again one of the best clubs in the world, and this is the most important thing.”
On his admiration for Guardiola’s past work: “I decided to be a manager because of the Pep team at Barcelona, years ago.”
“I don’t think [any] one can be compared to that Barcelona, to Pep, because I think they changed football in Spain, where every club was trying to play in that way and then Pep moved to Germany, and everyone was trying to play that way in Germany. I think Pep came to England and many clubs tried to do something similar and also England in terms of the international team. I don’t think anyone can be compared to Pep because I think in the last 20-25 years he changed football.”
Maresca managed to get up close and personal to Guardiola, working as a coach and assistant manager for Manchester City before branching out to become a number one with Parma in 2021. He subsequently led Leicester City to promotion back to the Premier League in his sole season in charge, before replacing the ousted Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea.
Hansi Flick’s Barcelona a ‘Spectacular’ Team
Maresca also reserved special praise for the current iteration of Barcelona, who are being led by former Bayern Munich and Germany boss Hansi Flick.
The Catalan giants won a domestic treble in Flick’s first season, as well as reaching the semifinals of the Champions League, and Maresca is expecting a tough battle under the Stamford Bridge lights.
“I think they’re spectacular, it’s a team that whenever I look at it there are things that can be learnt, things that can be looked at, how they attack, how they defend, which in the end has given them the chance to win La Liga last year, to get to the Champions League semifinal,” he said.
“They do a lot of things very well and it’s a team that always wants initiative, always wants value and we try to do the same on our side.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Most Important’—Enzo Maresca Responds to Barcelona Job Link.
