Maresca: A Big Season Ahead
The 43-year-old Italian has signed a deal to 2026 following a treble-winning season at Manchester City, where he has enjoyed two spells, first as manager of their Development Squad before becoming an assistant coach to Pep Guardiola.
Maresca will look to build a footballing philosophy at the Foxes, with the ultimate aim to be successful during his first season as manager of a senior side in England.
“I’m very excited because of the Club [I’m joining] and because we have a big season ahead of us,” he said. “First of all, we want to try to play our football.
“At the beginning, the target is to play in the best way we can. From there, we can build day by day our idea and our philosophy, and the most important thing is to try to win games.
“I consider Leicester City as a big club, a Premier League club. The reality in this moment says that we are a Championship club, so we need to have all the players with the same mentality thinking that we are in the Championship.
“We need to change something, and then, from there, to build something important.”
Maresca will look to build on Leicester City’s existing squad foundations, knowing that with time, he can achieve great things at the helm of a club that has enjoyed success at the highest level in recent years.
“I’m very excited,” he continued. “I think at the end, between the players that want to leave, we need a big change. I’m very excited to be there and to rebuild.
“We know that when we build, because we have changed many players, always it requires time, but in the end, it’s exciting.
“First of all, we as a club, we need to rebuild this confidence. Then, also the players that stay with us from last year, they need to change their mentality. The players that we brought in, they need to understand that Leicester is a demanding club.
“The most important part of this is they need to understand now that we are in the Championship – we need them even more than in the previous season.”
City’s pre-season will begin in mid-July, and includes fixtures with Tottenham Hotspur in Bangkok and Liverpool in Singapore ahead of the 2023/24 Sky Bet Championship campaign.
Discussing his plans for pre-season, Maresca said: “We will focus on the team, focus on the squad and try to find as soon as we can the best players for our idea, our philosophy. I think, at the end, it is the most important thing.
“We have many friendly games, some of them with Football League teams, some of them Premier League teams. I think they are all important, but not for the final results. It’s important to see the team grow and understand the idea.”
The former Juventus, Fiorentina and Sevilla midfielder spoke of his journey so far as a coach and manager, outlining the desire he and his players will have to give everything while representing the Foxes.
“First of all, we’re going to give 100 per cent, absolutely, because the Club deserves this,” he said. “It’s our job, our duty to do that. This is the only thing now that we can tell them [the fans]. Then, as I said, day by day, step by step, absolutely we’re going to improve.”
Maresca, as assistant coach, made history with Manchester City during 2022/23, helping them to lift the Emirates FA Cup, Premier League and UEFA Champions League trophies as they became only the second English side in history to complete the treble.
“I started as an assistant manager in the past, I always thought that my last experience (as an assistant) was with Manuel Pellegrini at West Ham,” he said.
“Then, I started with the Under-23s at Manchester City. I had a short experience in Italy with Parma, and then the only way [for me] to be again as assistant manager is with Pep. I consider him the best manager in the world. Now, with Leicester, I start [as a manager] again.”
“This season has been unbelievable for Man City. To be honest, they all deserve it as a club, as human beings and as professionals. They are a fantastic club in terms of human resource, in terms of people. This is something that we need, absolutely.
“We know already that the fundamentals, the foundations are there, but at the same time, all the people that we bring in, they are to be first of all, in terms of a human being, they have to be good people. From there, you can do something important.”