Chelsea fans think new boss Enzo Maresca “bodied” Pep Guardiola while giving his first interview.
Maresca has replaced Mauricio Pochettino in the Stamford Bridge hotseat, signing a five-year deal with the option to extend a further season.
His appointment comes after an impressive season at Leicester City, where he won the Championship and secured an immediate return to the Premier League after a 97-point season.
Prior to that, Maresca had a brief spell in charge of Parma in between two stints at Manchester City.
He first managed the club’s Elite Development Squad to the Premier League 2 title before returning and working as assistant manager to Guardiola.
But while the 44-year-old is considered to be a discipline of Guardiola’s and has followed many of his principles, the Catalan did not get a mention in first Chelsea chat.
Maresca was asked about working with big personalities and managers and how it shaped him as a coach.
Yet he did not mention Guardiola, instead name-dropping Marcello Lippi, Carlo Ancelotti and Manuel Pellegrini.
And plenty of supporters feel as though it was a deliberate move on Maresca’s part.
One wrote: “Pep watching with his burner account and shaking.”
Another said: “He mentioned all these coaches without Pep Guardiola,, you know why? Enzo Maresca is ending that Era, he’s here to take over!!”
A third simply wrote: “He bodied Pep.”
A fifth person weighed in: “I was hearing names like Arteta to compete with Pep. Maresca is here to degrade Pep once and for all.”
A final user predicted: “Pep days are numbered, Enzo Maresca is here to dominate the league.”
Willy Caballero, Danny Walker, Michele De Bernardin, Marcos Alvarez, Javi Molina and Roberto Vitiello are all part of Maresca’s backroom staff at Chelsea.
His first competitive game in charge is a home game against Guardiola and City on 18 August.
Featured Image Credit: Getty & X/@chelseaFC
Topics: Enzo Maresca, Chelsea, Pep Guardiola