"He did great job at Leicester, he's a really good coach" - Chelsea star on Enzo Maresca's appointment as Blues head coach
Chelsea star Marc Cucurella has shared his thoughts on new manager Enzo Maresca. He praised his work at Leicester City and hoped that they have a good season at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues mutually parted ways with Mauricio Pochettino at the end of the 2023-24 season. They then appointed Enzo Maresca as the new manager after he helped Leicester City win the EFL Championship last season. The Italian has signed a five-year deal at the club and will look to undertake a rebuild.
Marc Cucurella was recently asked about Maresca's appointment and he answered (via Fabrizio Romano):
“We are happy with Enzo Maresca as new manager. He did great job at Leicester, he's a really good coach, I hope we'll have good season at Chelsea."
Maresca has previously worked under Pep Guardiola, being his assistant manager at Manchester City during the 2022-23 season. He then joined Leicester last summer and helped them gain promotion to the Premier League.
Maresca is known for his possession-based attacking football and will look to implement it at Chelsea. The Blues have massively struggled since Todd Boehly and Co. took over as owners in the summer of 2022. They finished sixth in the Premier League last season.
Chelsea fan slams Gary Neville following his comments over Marc Cucurella
Manchester United legend Gary Neville had previously claimed that he believes Marc Cucurella won't start for Spain at UEFA Euro 2024. However, the fullback has played every minute of their two games so far - a 3-0 win over Croatia and a 1-0 win over Italy.
Neville had said ahead of Spain's clash against Croatia (via Metro):
"I didn’t think he would play. He’s not been convincing at Chelsea, he’s played a few games towards the end of the season. He’s aggressive, he’s tenacious, he’s a busy little full back, that price tag still astounds everybody, I think, still to this day.
"I think he’s one of the reasons we think Spain probably can’t go all the way."
However, following Cucurella's performances in both games, a Chelsea fan came up with a nickname for Neville - Gary 'Clownville'. A Reddit user @YoBleuhT posed:
"Gary Clownville. Cucurella looks more like a reason that Spain will win the Euros."
Spain have qualified for the Round of 16 at Euro 2024 with one group game remaining. They will next face Albania on Monday, June 24.