Maresca Seeks Focus Ahead Of Millwall Clash
Twenty games into the season and City look well set heading into the Christmas period. The Foxes’ next assignment sees Millwall visit King Power Stadium on Wednesday (7:45pm GMT kick-off) and, ahead of the encounter, Maresca spoke to reporters from inside the King Power Centre at LCFC Training Ground.
Momentum to build
Following the fixture against the Lions, Birmingham City are up next on Monday, before hosting Rotherham United on 23 December. It’s three games that Maresca is targeting as many points as possible in, without thinking about where that will place the Foxes come the New Year.
“We have an important amount of games in the next two or three weeks,” the Italian commented in his pre-match press conference. “To win a game is the most important thing in this moment. We have one more game at home which for sure will be a complicated game.
“In this moment it is important, not only for us, but for every team to win games and, after Rotherham, it is just 23 games to have the maximum points we can. It’s already four or five weeks since we said that after Rotherham it’s 23 games, a half season.
“We can see where we are and we can at least be a little bit more clear on what we need for the future. We can say we need this or this to reach our target. In this moment, the only thing is tomorrow and then Birmingham and Rotherham and then we see.
“It’s a tricky moment, because it’s December, Christmas – there’s many games. You can players out ill. It’s a delicate month but for me the only way to focus is to think about the next game and then the next and then the next.
“With this amount of games, it’s impossible to think in the next three, four, five games. Focus is on tomorrow and then from tomorrow night we are going to be focusing on the next one.
“If you want to maintain high standards, you need to change. It’s impossible for 11 players to play every game and maintain the same level, because some games they are tired. We need to change and refresh.
“Sometimes it can happen that we repeat the same XI, but the normal situation is that we need to refresh the energy.
“We already reached some records. It’s good but as I said at the beginning of the season, it is going to be more important at the end of the season if we reach our target, otherwise it’s just something not important.”
Wednesday’s visitors
Joe Edwards is the new man in charge at the south London club, taking over following the departure of Gary Rowett in October. That adds an air of unpredictability to a side currently in the lower reaches of the division, Maresca believes.
“They just changed their manager five or six games ago,” the 43-year-old analysed. “You can see that they are trying something different. The only doubt that we always have is the way that they are going to come here.
“We saw the other day it was a team that probably was one of the lowest teams in terms of high pressing. They came here and tried to high press. Tomorrow, I don’t know. The only thing I can say is that they are with a new manager, they are trying to do something different and change a little bit of their style.
“If they are going to come like last game and are going to try and find more solutions in behind like what happened the other day... otherwise, we are going to try and be patient, be clinical when we have the chance and try to win the game.
“In this case, we watch the last five or six games and when something happens like this we also try to watch previous teams from this manager to see if we can see some similar things to prepare for the game.”
The Blue Army’s importance
Another home fixture, just four days on from defeating Plymouth Argyle on Filbert Way, Maresca acknowledged the role the supporters can once again play this time.
The former Manchester City coach added: “I said since day one, we need our fans 100 per cent. I know that for them after relegation it was a complicated moment. We are still in the Championship, but we are trying to help them to be with us.
“We understand every effort they do when we play home and away. To see QPR away, West Bromwich away, some games also at home where at the end we can be happy all together, it’s a fantastic feeling.”