Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has compared his start with the Blues to that of Pep Guardiola when he started at Barcelona and Mikel Arteta at Arsenal.
Maresca has started his tenure at Chelsea impressively after replacing Mauricio Pochettino as the new manager.
The Italian manager has won seven of his first 13 games in the Premier League and are now sitting in third place on the league table following their win against Aston Villa.
His performance has shocked some Chelsea fans who had doubts about his appointment following his lack of Premier League experience.
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'We are very happy with him' — Maresca praises Chelsea star after big performance against Leicester
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has singled out one player for special praise after the Blues 2-1 win over Leicester City.
What Maresca said
Maresca has claimed that his lack of experience and self-belief was never a major problem because he had already exceeded all expectations.
According to the Standard, he said, “Doubt myself? For sure, no. Eddie Howe, when he started. “He had experience? No.
“Pep [Guardiola] when he started at Barcelona. Experience? No. Mikel [Arteta], when he started at Arsenal. Experience? No.
“We all are in the same situation. When you start, you don’t have experience. You cannot go to the supermarket and buy experience. So, you need time. But it’s not only for me, it’s for all of us in different jobs.
“In terms of doubting myself? No. When we finish some games and [the media] ask me: ‘Are you worried about this or that?’
“I am always worried because I try always until the end to do the right things. But it doesn’t mean that I don’t believe in what I do.
“They were normal [to have doubts]. They are still normal. In the moment we lose games, there will still be doubt. I know how it works.”
Chelsea will play Southampton in their next game knowing that they can move up to second place by improving Arsenal's performance against a rising Manchester United at home.